THE  BOOK  OF  GENESIS 


BOARD  OF  EDITORS 

OF 

RELIGIOUS  LITERATURE 

REPRESENTING 

The  Union  of  American  Hebrew  Congregations 

and  The  Central  Conference  of 

American  Rabbis 

DR.  DAVID  PHILIPSON,  Chairman 

DR.  H.  G.  ENELOW 

DR.  RUDOLPH  GROSSMAN 

DR.  LOUIS  GROSSMANN 

RABBI  MAX  HELLER 

DR.  EMIL  G.  HIRSCH 

DR.  KAUFMANN  KOHLER 

RABBI  JOSEPH  KORNFELD 

RABBI  HARRY  LEVI 

DR.  ELI  MAYER 

DR.  WILLIAM  ROSENAU 

DR.  SAMUEL  SCHULMAN 

DR.  ABRAM  SIMON 

RABBI  GEORGE  ZEPIN,  Secretary 


A  Jewish  Interpretation 

of 

Book  of  Genesis 


By 
Rabbi  Julian  Morgenstern,  Ph.  D. 

Professor  of  Bible  and  Semitic  Languages 
Hebrew  Union  College 


Cincinnati,  Ohio 
1920 


Copyright  i  pig. 
The  Union  of  American  Hebrew  Congregations 

Second  Printing 


FN  MEMORfAM 


TO 

MY  WIFE 


943947 


PREFACE. 

A  word  of  explanation  is  due  the  readers  of  this  book, 
to  whom  it  may  seem  at  first  glance  that  it  is  intended  to 
reach  two  altogether  different  publics.  The  book  speaks 
constantly  of  Jewish  children  and  their  instruction,  yet  it 
contains  much  that  is  far  beyond  the  comprehension  of  chil- 
dren, and  that  may  seem  technical  even  to  the  religious 
school  teacher  and  trained  Bible  student.  No  one  realizes 
this  better  than  I,  and  no  one  appreciates  more  the  difficulty, 
and  even  the  danger,  of  writing  for  more  than  one  body  of 
readers. 

However,  circumstances  make  this  condition  unavoidable. 
The  preparation  of  this  book  was  undertaken  four  years 
ago,  at  the  request  and  under  the  supervision  of  the  Board 
of  Editors  of  the  Department  of  Synagogue  and  School 
Extension  of  the  Union  of  American  Hebrew  Congregations. 
The  intention  of  the  Board  of  Editors  was  that  this  work 
should  not  be  published,  but  should  serve  only  as  the  basis 
for  a  series  of  lessons  on  the  stories  of  Genesis,  to  be  pre- 
pared by  a  Jewish  religious  school  teacher,  able  and  thor- 
oughly experienced  in  just  this  particular  field  of  instruc- 
tion. These  lessons  were  not  to  be  given  into  the  children's 
hands,  but  were  to  constitute  a  text-book  for  teachers,  and 
were  to  indicate  the  actual  material  to  be  presented  in  the 
class-room,  and  the  best  method  of  presentation.  This  book 
was  to  be  accompanied  by  a  children's  text-book  or  Bible 
reader,  containing  the  stories  of  Genesis  in  the  language  of 
the  Bible  itself,  but  simplified  so  far  as  possible  by  the 
omission  of  all  matter  unessential  to  the  main  narrative  or 
unsuitable  for  children.  This  plan  involved  a  reduction  of 

vii 


viii  Preface 

the  material  of  my  manuscript  to  almost  the  minimum  of 
what  was  absolutely  essential  and  indispensable  to  the 
presentation  to  the  children  by  the  average,  or  even  by  the 
inexperienced  teacher.  All  other  material,  instructive  and 
valuable  though  it  might  be,  was  to  be  omitted  as  super- 
fluous, and,  not  improbably,  even  disturbing  for  the  low- 
caliber  teacher. 

My  first  manuscript  was  prepared  in  accordance  with 
this  plan.  It  had  only  a  teacher  audience  in  view,  and  dealt 
immediately  with  the  problems  of  class-room  instruction. 
It  endeavored  to  present  the  maximum  of  material  which, 
it  seemed  to  me,  the  teacher  might  find  helpful  and  stimu- 
lating. It  was  understood  that  the  collaborator  would  re- 
duce this  maximum  to  the  inevitable  minimum.  The  manu- 
script sought  likewise  to  offer  helpful  suggestions  in  regard 
to  the  Jewish  religious  school,  its  real  nature  and  aims,  at 
least  as  I  conceived  them,  and  the  content  and  method  of 
its  instruction. 

After  careful  consideration  the  Board  of  Editors  con- 
cluded that  the  manuscript  contained  material  which,  in 
accordance  with  the  original  plan,  the  collaborator  would  be 
compelled  to  omit  from  the  teacher's  text-book,  but  which 
might  nevertheless  prove  valuable  for  the  earnest  and  ex- 
perienced teacher,  who  was  eager  to  know  more  of  the  sub- 
ject than  the  minimum  to  be  imparted  in  the  class-room. 
It  was  felt  that  the  book  might  also  be  made  useful  for  a 
larger,  non-professional  public,  for  adult  Bible  classes,  sister- 
hood Bible  study  circles,  and  possibly  even  for  advanced 
post-confirmation  classes.  It  was,  therefore,  decided  that, 
while  the  original  plan  of  a  teacher's  text-book,  to  be  pre- 
pared by  a  practical  collaborator,  and  to  contain  the  actual 
framework  of  lessons  for  class-room  presentation,  be  car- 
ried out,  I  should  also  be  asked  to  revise  my  original  manu- 
script, and  that  it  be  published  as  a  source-book  on  Genesis 
for  the  advanced  student. 


Preface  ix 

In  accordance  with  this  larger  plan,  and  helped  by  many 
valuable  criticisms  and  suggestions  of  members  of  the  Board 
of  Editors,  I  carefully  revised  the  original  manuscript.  The 
fact  that  the  work  was  now  designed  for  a  larger  and 
somewhat  different  public  than  was  contemplated  at  first, 
necessitated  a  recasting  of  much  of  the  original,  and  the 
inclusion  of  considerable  matter  which  had  been  purposely 
omitted  from  the  first  manuscript.  To  a  certain  extent  it 
compelled  likewise  a  modification  of  the  original  standpoint 
and  mode  of  treatment.  Nevertheless,  to  a  very  considerable 
degree  my  first  manuscript  constitutes  the  basis  of  this  work, 
and  problems  of  Jewish  religious  instruction  are  still  touched 
upon  in  this  book.  So  far  as  possible,  however,  those  por- 
tions of  the  book  which  deal  specifically  with  these  prob- 
lems, and  are  therefore  intended  primarily  for  a  professional 
teacher  public,  are  printed  in  small  type,  in  order  that  they 
may  be  readily  passed  over  by  readers  not  interested  in  their 
consideration. 

The  two  publics  which  this  book  now  seeks  to  reach  are 
those  of  the  professional  Jewish  religious  school  teacher, 
whose  main  concern  is  to  learn  as  much  of  the  subject  as 
possible,  in  order  to  be  able  in  turn  to  impart  instruction 
with  greater  efficiency  and  authority,  and  the  non-professional 
Jewish  Bible  student,  whose  thirst  for  knowledge  and  whose 
Jewish  loyalty  and  interest  impel  him  to  seek  greater  knowl- 
edge of  Judaism  for  himself.  I  trust  that  this  explanation 
of  how  this  book  came  to  serve  these  two  publics  may  ob- 
viate what  might  otherwise  perplex  and  confuse,  and  that 
it  may  incline  both  publics  to  forbearance  in  their  judgment 
of  the  book  and  patience  in  its  use. 

The  book  aims  to  be  precisely  what  its'  title  indicates,  a 
Jewish  interpretation  of  Genesis.  We  have  had  countless 
books  on  Genesis  by  Jewish  authors.  But,  with  rare  excep- 
tions, they  have  sought  only  to  recount  the  stories  of 
Genesis  literally,  without  penetrating  to  the  fundamental 


x  Preface 

Jewish  spiritual  truth  beneath,  and  without  consideration  of 
the  many  significant  discoveries  and  teachings  of  modern 
science  with  regard  to  Genesis.  They  have  confounded 
Biblical  myths,  legends  and  traditions  with  what  they  have  mis- 
takenly called  Biblical  History.  Thereby  they  have,  on  the 
one  hand,  only  too  frequently  worked  mischievous  confusion 
and  misunderstanding  in  the  minds  of  those  they  sought  to 
instruct,  and  on  the  other  hand,  they  have  missed  almost 
entirely  the  golden  opportunity  to  impart  the  really  basic 
truths  of  Judaism  to  the  most  receptive  minds. 

We  have  also  had  numerous  scientific  interpretations  of 
Genesis,  all,  with  even  fewer  exceptions,  by  non-Jewish 
scholars.  Their  work  has  been  almost  entirely  analytic  in 
character.  They  have  picked  Genesis,  and  the  entire  Bible 
in  fact,  to  pieces.  They  have  resolved  it  into  its  component 
sources,  and  have  determined  with  quite  reliable  accuracy 
when  and  under  what  conditions  these  were  written.  They 
have  also  determined  when,  how,  and  by  whom  these  orig- 
inally independent  sources  were  gradually  combined,  until 
at  last  our  present  Bible  came  into  being. 

But  singularly  enough,  they  have  failed  almost  completely 
to  determine  the  ends  for  which  these  sources  were  com- 
bined, and  the  thoughts  and  aims  which  animated  the  editors. 
They  have,  apparently,  tacitly  assumed  that  this  was  an  in- 
evitable and  largely  purposeless  process.  Therefore  they 
have  failed  to  realize,  except  in  the  most  superficial  manner, 
that  the  Bible,  and  particularly  the  Torah,  is  entirely  a 
Jewish  work,  written  by  Jewish  authors,  and  edited  by  Jew- 
ish thinkers,  the  product  of  Jewish  religious  genius,  and  a 
unit  of  Jewish  religious  thought  and  doctrine,  and  that  it 
must  be  animated  throughout  by  some  deep  Jewish  purpose, 
and  can,  in  the  final  analysis,  be  correctly  understood  only 
when  interpreted  from  a  positive  Jewish  standpoint.  Con- 
sequently, while  science  has  taught  us  much  about  the  Bible, 
new,  unsuspected,  significant  and  valuable  truths,  it  has  failed 


Preface  xi 

almost  entirely  to  catch  its  real  Jewish  purpose,  spirit  and 
flavor.  For  this  reason  the  usual  scientific,  analytic  inter- 
pretation of  the  Bible  is  inadequate,  and  lacks  final  authority. 

The  present  work  aims  to  be  a  scientific  interpretation  of 
Genesis,  but  an  interpretation  which  is  not  merely  analytic, 
and  therefore  largely  negative  and  destructive,  but  which  is 
also,  and  more  pronouncedly,  synthetic,  constructive  and 
Jewish.  It  accepts  the  established  and  irrefutable  teachings 
of  science  with  regard  to  Genesis,  and  seeks  to  determine 
constantly  what  is  the  fundamental  Jewish  thought  and 
teaching  of  the  various  stories  and  groups  of  stories,  for  the 
sake  of  which  their  Jewish  authors  and  editors  cast  them 
into  their  present  form.  It  operates  on  the  principle  that 
the  Bible  is  a  Jewish  work  throughout,  and  that  it  can  be 
understood  correctly  and  authoritatively  only  when  inter- 
preted from  the  standpoint  of  its  Jewish  teachings.  It  pro- 
ceeds with  deep  love  and  reverence  for  Judaism  and  its 
doctrines  and  practices,  and  for  Jewish  tradition  and  his- 
tory. But  it  is .  animated  by  equal  love  and-  reverence  for 
the  future  of  Judaism,  and  for  the  evolution  an'd  expansion 
which  its  beliefs  and  teachings  must  inevitably  undergo  in 
the  inexorable  progress  of  human  thought  and  knowledge, 
and  in  the  irresistible  compulsion  to  adapt  and  apply  these 
teachings  and  principles  to  the  needs  and  standards  of 
modern  existence,  in  order  that  Judaism  may  continue  to  be, 
what  it  has  always  been,  a  true  religion  of  life,  by  which 
men  may  not  only  die  resignedly,  but,  even  more,  may  live 
nobly,  bravely  and  usefully. 

In  conclusion  I  would  express  my  sincere  thanks  to  those 
members  of  the  Board  of  Editors  whose  wise  criticisms  and 
suggestions  have  helped  me  greatly  in  this  work;  and  among 
them  in  particular  to  my  dear  friend  and  colleague,  Rev. 
Dr.  Samuel  Schulman  of  New  York  City,  who  first  con- 
ceived of  the  possibilities  of  a  work  such  as  this,  and  whose 
generous  encouragement  has  aided  me  constantly,  even  as 


xii  Preface 

his    suggestive    and    stimulating    counsel    has    immeasurably 
enhanced  whatever  value  the  book  may  possess. 

It  is  my  sincere  wish  and  earnest  prayer  that  this  book 
may  not  only  instruct,  but  may  even  inspire  somewhat  those 
who  read  it  with  deep  and  reverent  love  and  loyalty  for  the 
religion  of  our  fathers,  which  has  descended  to  us  through 
many  centuries  as  our  most  precious  heritage,  and  which 
we,  in  turn,  would  cherish  and  safeguard  and  hand  down 
enlarged  and  enriched  unto  our  children  and  our  children's 
children. 

JUUAN    MORGENSTSRN. 

Cincinnati,  Nov.  29,  1918. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


Preface 

Table  of  Contents 

List   of   Illustrations 

Introduction 

I.     The   Jewish    Religion 1 

II.     The   Book   of   Genesis 14 

III.  Practical  Suggestions   for  the  Teacher 32 

IV.  Bibliography 35 

I.     The   Story  of   Creation  J. 37 

II.     The  Garden  of  Eden. 47 

III.  Cain   and   Abel 63 

IV.  The  Flood 76 

V.     The  Tower  of  Babel : 89 

VI.     The  Call  of  Abraham 100 

VII.     Abraham  and   Lot Ill 

VIII.     Abraham's    Hospitality 122 

IX.     Sodom   and  Gomorrah 131 

X.     Hagar    and    Ishmael 144 

XI.     The    Sacrifice   of   Isaac 155 

XII.     The   Death   of    Sarah 165 

XIII.     The  Wooing  of  Rebekah 174 

XIV.  The  Well  of  the   Covenant.  .......................    189 

The  Unity  of  the  Jacob  Story. , 200 

XV.     The    Birthright 222 

XVI.     A   Father's   Blessing 232 

XVII.     God   is   With   Us 240 

XVIII.     Jacob    and    Laban 249 

XIX.     Jacob   and   Esau 264 

XX.     Joseph  the   Dreamer 282 

XXI.     Joseph  in  Egypt 296 

XXII.     Joseph  and   His   Brothers 307 

XX1TI.     Joseph   and  Jacob 316 

XXIV.     Jacob's  Blessing 324 

xiii 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

The   Babylonian   Flood  Story 78 

Mt.  Ararat  in  Armenia 86 

Temple   Mound  at  Babylon 98 

Ur  of  the  Chaldees  as  it  is  Today 109 

A    Nomad    Chieftain 113 

Abraham's  Oak  at  Mamre 123 

A  Modern  Nomad  Tent -. 128 

Oriental    Bowing 129 

The  Dead  Sea  from  the  North . 139 

The   Gate  of  an   Oriental  City 141 

The  Pillar  of  Salt 142 

Weighing   Money 173 

At  the  Well 184 

An  Oriental  Water  Jar 185 

Noserings,    Bracelets    and    Anklets 187 

A  Veiled  Woman  in  the  Orient 188 

A  Semitic  Family  Seeking  Entrance  into  Egypt 197 

The   Great  Well  at   Beersheba 198 

Abraham's  Well  at  Beersheba 199 

The  Mandrake. .  1 260 

Teraphim .......... 261 

Jacob's  Well  as  Seen  Today. 279 

Rachel's  Tomb 280 

The  Well  at  Dothan 293 

A   Caravan   of   Ishmaelites 294 

Egyptian  Barbers 305 

Rings  and  Signets 305 

The  Princes  of  Egypt  in  Their  Chariots 305 

The  Modern  Site  of  Heliopolis 306 

An  Ancient  Egyptian  Granary 307 

Ancient  Egyptians  at  Dinner 314 

An  Egyptian  Divining  Bowl 315 

Different  Stages  of  Embalming 334 

The  Tomb  of  Joseph  near  Shechem 335 

XV 


INTRODUCTION 


THE  JEWISH  REUGION 

Judaism  is  essentially  a  religion  of  this  life  and  this 
world.  Other  religions  may  stress  the  thought  that  this 
world  is  merely  the  preparation  for  the  world  to  come,  that 
there  lies  the  goal  of  all  existence,  and  that  we  must  live 
this  life  to  the  end  and  in  such  manner  that  we  may  attain 
to  the  life  hereafter.  But  Judaism  holds  no  such  view. 
True,  it  affirms  the  doctrine  of  future  life  and  of  reward 
and  punishment.  But  it  has  never  magnified  the  other  world 
at  the  expense  of  this.  On  the  contrary,  it  teaches  that  this 
life  is  worth  living  for  its  own  sake,  that  this  world  and  all 
that  it  contains  are  good,  that  they  were  created  by  God  for 
some  purpose  of  good,  and  that  man  was  put  here  by  God 
to  help  realize  by  his  own  living  this  ultimate  purpose  of 
good.  Judaism  has,  therefore,  concerned  itself  chiefly  with 
the  tasks,  duties  and  ideals  of  this  life,  assured  that  if  this 
life  be  but  well  lived,  the  future,  however  it  may  be,  will 
care  for  itself.  Not  salvation  in  the  future  world  was  its 
chief  aim  and  concern,  but  faithful,  conscientious  perform- 
ance of  the  daily,  and  often  burdensome  duties  of  this  world. 
It  has  always  cherished  faith  highly;  but  it  was  ever  a  true 
faith,  which  expressed  itself  in  the  lifelong  conviction  of 
the  existence  of  one  God,  to  know  whom  and  to  walk  in 
whose  way,  daily  and  hourly,  is  man's  supreme  duty.  Faith, 
in  Judaism,  could,  and  can,  live  and  grow  only  with  an  ever- 


l-The  Book  of  Genesis 


growing  knowledge   of   God,   and   only   so   long   as   it   could, 
and  can,  in  turn,  constantly  transform  itself  into  right  living. 

The  Sources  of  the  Jeufs  Knowledge  of  God 

The  Jew's  knowledge  of  God  has  ever  sprung  from  a 
twofold  source.  As  the  individual  grew  to  manhood  and 
wisdom,  and  his  mind  broadened,  his  experience  deepened, 
his  vision  expanded,  he  could  not  but  think  more  and  more 
intensely  about  God  and  the  universe  and  life.  In  conse- 
quence of  an  innate,  psychological  predisposition,  the  Jew  has 
ever  been  a  thinker  about  God  and  about  the  origin  and 
purpose  of  life.  Even  his  oldest  myths  and  folklore,  to  a 
far  greater  extent,  it  would  seem,  than  those  of  any  other 
people,  dealt  with  questions  about  God  and  creation,  the 
meaning  of  life,  and  the  origin  of  its  fundamental  social 
institutions  and  religious  symbols.  Much  thinking  could  not 
but  in  time  produce  much  knowledge.  And,  once  gained, 
this  knowledge  was  not  lost;  it  was  preserved  in  some  form 
or  other,  and  was  transmitted  from  generation  to  generation 
as  an  integral  part  of  Judaism. 

From  this  developed  the  second  source  of  the  Jew's 
knowledge  of  God,  far  greater  and  more  potent  than  the 
thinking  and  experiences  of  the  individual.  It  was  the  com- 
bined and  unified  thinking  of  the  many  individuals  who, 
through  all  the  centuries,  have  made  up  the  sum  total  of 
Israel's  religious  leaders  and  teachers.  They  pondered  over 
not  merely  the  questions  and  perplexities  of  individual  ex- 
perience, but  also,  and  to  a  far  greater  degree,  the  problems 
and  conditions  of  the  whole  people  and  of  all  mankind. 
They  saw  in  Israel  God's  chosen  people,  first  of  all  nations 
to  know  and  worship  Him,  and  whom  He  had  therefore 
chosen  as  His  messengers,  witnesses  of  His  truth  unto  man- 
kind. Thus  Israel  believed  itself  to  stand  directly  under 
God's  dispensation.  All  fortunes  and  misfortunes  it  re- 


The  Jewish  Religion  3 

garded  as  coming  directly  from  God  Himself  to  reveal  His 
divine  nature  and  His  will  and  purpose  with  it  and  with  the 
whole  human  race.  In  all  the  events  of  its  history,  as  inter- 
preted by  its  spiritual  leaders,  Israel  ever  saw  God's  hand 
working,  and  through  the  interpretation  of  its  history  aright 
it  learned  to  know  God  and  His  true  worship  and  life  of 
service  for  all  men.  Israel's  history  has  ever  been  the  chief 
source  of  its  knowledge  of  God. 

Revelation 

But  in  a  certain  sense  there  is  still  a  third  source,  ex- 
pressed in  the  one  word,  Revelation.  This  term  implies 
that  the  Jew's  knowledge  of  God  is  the  result  not  only  of 
his  own  expanding  individual  and  communal  religious  con- 
sciousness and  thought,  but  also,  and  perhaps  even  more,  of 
God's  actual  and  purposed  revelation  of  Himself  to  Israel 
through  divinely  chosen  and  inspired  men,  whom  we  call 
prophets.  Certainly  the  prophets  so  conceived  of  themselves, 
their  message,  and  their  work.  They  spoke  and  labored,  not 
as  mere  human  beings,  but  as  impersonal  agents  through 
whom  God  Himself  was  irresistibly  working.  Volumes  have 
been  written  to  explain  prophetic  inspiration  and  revelation 
by  natural  law,  and  from  a  rationalistic  and  somewhat  me- 
chanical standpoint,  and  much  light  has  been  shed  upon  this 
very  difficult  problem.  Yet  we  are  constantly  made  to  realize 
that  only  the  human  side  of  the  prophet's  nature  and  work 
can  be  thus  analyzed  and  explained;  the  divine  element,  the 
manner  of  God's  willing  and  working,  remains  ever  above 
and  beyond  human  analysis  and  comprehension.  During  a 
long  period  the  prophets  were  the  leaders  in  this  wonderful 
unfolding  of  Israel's  knowledge  of  God;  through  them 
eternal  truths  were  revealed,  which  were  indispensable  for 
human  knowledge  and  spiritual  growth.  We  can  scarcely 
believe  that  these  prophets  discovered  these  truths  entirely 


4  The  Book  of  Genesis 

through  purely  human  processes.  Surely  God  has  willed 
that  man  should  know  more  and  ever  more  of  Him  and  His 
way;  the  knowledge  which  these  prophets,  as  sons  of  Israel, 
proclaimed,  God  must  have  allowed,  and  even  caused,  them 
to  discover,  as  Heoallowed  and  caused  no  men  and  no  people 
before  them.  Aye,  this  knowledge  surely  could  not  have 
been  only  discovered  by  these  prophets ;  equally  it  must  have 
been  revealed  to  them  by  God.  This  is  Revelation. 

Actually,  however,  Revelation  is  hardly  a  third  source  of 
the  Jew's  knowledge  of  God,  but  merely  the  same  two 
sources  viewed  from  the  reverse  side,  in  their  divine,  rather 
than  in  their  human,  aspect.  It  says  not  only  that  the  Jew's 
knowledge  of  God  came  through  the  religious  experiences 
and  discoveries  of  individuals,  particularly  certain  peculiarly 
fitted  individuals,  and  through  the  religious  experiences  and 
discoveries  of  the  entire  people  in  all  the  stages  and  through 
all  the  fortunes  of  its  history,  but  also  that  God  has  willed 
that  this  knowledge  come  in  this  manner.  Revelation,  there- 
fore, really  affirms  only  that  the  two  sources  of  the  Jew's 
knowledge  of  God  have  a  divine,  as  well  as  a  human,  origin 
and  cause. 

But  in  this  sense  Revelation  means  far  more  than  as  it 
is  usually  interpreted.  True  Revelation  in  Israel  was 
through  more  than  the  prophets  alone;  or  rather,  they  were 
merely  the  agents  or  mouthpieces  of  Revelation,  and  Reve- 
lation itself  was  greater  and  grander  far  than  just  these 
prophets  themselves  and  their  inspired  words.  The  prophets 
were  primarily  the  children  of  their  own  times,  spurred  to 
activity  not  only  by  the  conviction  that  God  had  literally 
called  them,  but  also  by  the  realization  of  the  moral  and 
spiritual  evils  and  needs  of  their  own  days.  They,  above  all 
others,  saw  God's  hand  constantly  present  in  Israel's  history, 
and  read  His  divine  purpose  and  guidance  in  all  the  events 
thereof.  They  realized  that  God  was  revealing  His  will, 
not  only  through  them  to  Israel,  but  also,  and  to  a  far 


The  Jewish  Religion  5 

greater  degree,  through  Israel's  history  to  Israel  itself  arid 
to  all  mankind.  Therefore  their  messages  consisted  in  the 
main  in  interpreting  to  Israel  of  their  own  days  the  divine 
significance  of  its  history.  Israel's  history  was  to  them  the 
chief  source  of  God's  revelation  of  Himself  to  His  people; 
and  whoever  might  interpret  this  history  aright  from  the 
standpoint  of  God  and  of  God's  guidance  of  Israel  and  of 
all  mankind,  was  a  prophet,  proclaiming,  in  accordance  with 
God's  will,  the  true  knowledge  of  Him  and  His  way  unto 
all  the  world. 

Therefore,  for  us  today,  whether  we  have  new  truths 
to  proclaim,  or  only  the  old  truths  to  reaffirm  and  teach,  the 
essential  requisite  for  an  authoritative  and  inspiring  knowl- 
edge of  Judaism  is  a  correct  and  constructive  knowledge  of 
Jewish  history  and  of  Jewish  life  and  thought,  that  we,  too, 
may  see  therein  all  the  countless  evidences  of  God's  good- 
ness, wisdom  and  love,  and  may  learn,  in  turn,  how  He 
wills  that  we  ourselves  live  as  true  Jews  and  true  men  and 
women. 

What  is  Jewish  History? 

But  what  is  Jewish  history?  History  is  more  than  mere 
chronicling  of  events,  no  matter  how  correctly.  History  is 
life.  The  history  of  any  people  is  the  full  record  of  the 
life  it  has  lived,  the  experiences  it  has  endured,  the  trials 
it  has  undergone,  the  defeats  it  has  suffered,  the  victories  it 
has  achieved,  the  thoughts  it  has  conceived,  the  ideals  it  has 
striven  for,  the  contributions  to  the  welfare  and  progress  of 
the  human  race  which  it  has  made.  History  is  the  correct 
and  complete  record  of  all  causes  and  effects,  of  all  forces 
at  work,  and  of  all  results  flowing  therefrom,  in  the  lives 
of  individuals  or  nations.  The  history  of  any  individual 
really  begins  long  before  birth,  in  the  pre-natal  conditions 
which  must  determine  his  physical,  mental,  and  psychological 


6  The  Book  of  Genesis 

makeup  and  much  of  his  subsequent  life.  Nor  does  his  his- 
tory cease  until  his  life  has  completely  ended,  and  perhaps 
not  even  then ;  for  the  man  lives  on  and  his  history  continues 
in  the  forces  and  influences  he  has  set  in  operation,  and 
which  go  on  working  themselves  out  in  the  life  of  the  human 
race  until  the  end  of  time. 

Similarly  the  history  of  a  nation,  of  a  people,  or  of  a 
religion  begins  long  before  it  actually  steps  forth  upon  the 
stage  of  existence.  It  begins  in  all  the  conditions,  forces, 
and  influences  which  work  together  to  make  that  nation, 
people;  or  religion  what  it  is  at  the  moment  of  real,  con- 
crete birth,  and  which  largely  determine  its  subsequent  life 
and  evolution.  And  its  history  does  not  end  until  it  has 
utterly  ceased  to  be,  and  the  memory  of  it  is  completely 
lost,  and  the  principles  of  national,  social,  or  religious  con- 
duct, which  it  has  evolved,  are  thoroughly  uprooted,  if  that 
be  possible,  from  the  total  life-experience  and  life-thought 
of  mankind. 

The  history  of  Israel  and  of  Judaism  is,  therefore,  far 
more  than  the  mere  Biblical  record  of  a  few  scattered  events. 
It  commenced  far  back  in  dim,  pre-historic  antiquity,  when 
the  first,  primitive  ancestor  of  the  Jewish  people  began  to 
move  on  earth.  The  Bible,  unconsciously  perhaps,  voices  a 
significant  truth  when  it  begins  the  history  of  Israel,  not 
with  Moses  nor  with  Abraham,  but  with  creation.  And 
since  Israel  still  exists  today,  unique  among  the  peoples  of 
the  earth,  and  since  Judaism  still  lives,  and  we  proudly  pro- 
claim ourselves  Jews,  adherents  of  Judaism,  endowed  with 
a  glorious  mission  unto  mankind,  it  follows  that  Jewish  his- 
tory has  not  yet  ended,  and,  so  far  as  we  can  see  and  hope 
and  pray,  will  never  end.  Jewish  history  is,  therefore,  the 
complete  record  of  the  life  of  the  Jew,  of  his  experiences, 
thoughts,  beliefs,  and  practices,  of  his  ever-growing  knowl- 
edge of  God  and  of  life,  as  believed,  proclaimed,  and  trans- 
formed into  conduct,  from  the  earliest,  simplest,  crudest,  and 


The  Jewish  Religion  7 

most  primitive  beginnings  down  to  our  own  present  day ;  aye, 
even  down  to  tomorrow,  if  we  can  but  raise  the  curtain  of 
the  future  but  a  little,  and  behold  the  stage  set  for  to- 
morrow's act. 

However,  we  are  unable  to  trace  our  history  in  all  its 
details  back  to  its  actual  origin.  •  The  most  we  can  do  is  to 
begin  with  the  earliest  period  of  our  Bible  narrative  and 
follow  the  history  of  our  people  and  our  religion  through 
successive  generations  and  Centuries,  noting  the  fortunes 
which  befell  them,  and  through  all  these,  whether  good 
or  ill,  the  ever-growing  knowledge  of  God  and  of  the 
meaning  of  life,  and  the  constantly  expanding  consciousness 
of  mission  and  message,  down  to  our  own  day.  We  are, 
in  a  very  real  and  positive  sense,  as  important  actors  upon 
the  stage  of  Jewish  history  as  were  the  heroes  and  sages  of 
old.  We  are  the  heirs,  of  all  our  glorious  past.  To  be  true 
Jews  we  must  know  what  Judaism  is.  And  we  can  know 
what  Judaism  is  only  when  we  know  its  complete  history, 
not  merely  in  Bible  times,  but  throughout  all  ages,  and  when, 
knowing  Jewish  history  thus,  we  can  reinterpret  it  in  the 
light  of  present  times,  conditions,  and  needs,  and  can  thereby 
make  Judaism  what  it  has  always  been  in  truth,  not  merely 
a  religion  of  the  past,  but  also  a  religion  of  the  present  and 
the  future,  a  religion  of  God's  true  life  on  earth.  It  is  a 
vast  knowledge,  and  given  only  to  the  few  to  know  with  % 
any  degree  of  fulness.  Yet  upon  every  Jew  rests  the  duty 
of  learning  all  of  Judaism  that  he  can,  that  through  it  he 
may  come  to  feel  as  a  Jew,  think  as  a  Jew,  and  interpret  life 
and  duty  as  a  Jew. 

The  Periods   of  Jewish   History 

It  is  a  fallacy  of  a  large  public,  sadly  unfamiliar  with 
Jewish  tradition  and  literature,  that  the  Bible  is  our  only 
book,  and  that  all  our  history  is  contained  in  the  Biblical 


8  The  Book  of  Genesis 

narrative.  A  moment's  thought  should  show  the  incorrect- 
ness of  this  belief.  Jewish  history  is  more  than  the  chron- 
icle of  a  few  events,  all  embraced  in  one  short  epoch,  and 
all  recorded  in  one  book.  It  extends  over  several  thousand 
years,  during  which  its  fortunes  were  most  varied  and 
complex. 

Jewish  history  may  be  divided  into  seven  periods,  (I)  the 
early  Biblical  period,  to  the  Babylonian  Exile  (586  B.  C.), 
(II)  the  late  Biblical  period,  to  the  destruction  of  the  Tem- 
ple by  the  Romans  (70  C.  E.),  (HI)  the  Palestinian  period, 
to  the  decadence  of  the  Jewish  schools  in  Palestine  (about 
375  C.  E.),  (IV)  the  Eastern  period,  when  the  center  of 
Jewish  life  was  in  Babylon  (until  about  1000  C.  E.),  (V) 
the  early  European  period,  when  the  center  of  Jewish  life 
had  shifted,  across  Egypt  and  northern  Africa,  to  southern 
and  western  Europe  (until  the  expulsion  from  Spain,  1492 
C.  E.),  (VI)  the  late  European  or  Ghetto  period,  when  the 
center  of  Jewish  life  had  once  more  shifted,  this  time  to 
central  Europe,  a  period  characterized  largely  by  enforced 
Ghetto  existence  with  its  peculiar  and  far-reaching  influences 
(approximately  to  the  first  quarter  of  the  19th  century),  and 
(VII)  the  modern  period.  In  each  of  these  vast  periods 
Judaism  was  developing,  expanding,  adapting  itself  to  new 
life  and  thought,  contributing  its  share,  and  more  than  its 
share,  to  the  spiritual  progress  of  mankind. 

To  know  Judaism  aright  we  must  know  something  of  its 
history  in  each  of  these  periods. 

Yet  we  can  not  teach  all  this  in  the  religious  school.  This  merely 
proves  'that  Judaism  is  more  than  a  religion  for  children  alone, 
that  it  is  for  adults,  too,  and  must  be  studied  by  them  as  well  as  by 
children.  Our  present  Jewish  religious  school,  reaching  children 
alone,  can  not  complete  the  task  of  teaching  Judaism.  The  time 
must  come  when  our  men  and  women  will  seek  knowledge  of  Juda- 
ism, not  only  for  their  little  ones,  but  for  themselves  as  well. 

Heretofore  our  schools  have  dealt  with  but  little  more  than  the 
early  Biblical  period.  But,  as  has  been  said,  it  is  impossible  to 


The  Jewish  Religion  9 

understand  Judaism  completely  from  a  knowledge  of  this  period 
alone.  However,  with  children  of  the  customary  religious  school 
age  it  is  almost  a  sufficient  achievement  to  have  taught  the  Biblical 
period  in  a  constructive,  even  though  elementary  manner.  It  is  not 
only  the  period  of  Israel's  beginning  and  'first  growth,  but  also  the 
foundation  period  of  our'  knowledge  of  Judaism.  Yet  we  should 
never  forget  that  it  is  only  the  foundation;  and  unless  the  super- 
structure of  the  later  history  be  erected  upon  this  foundation,  there 
will  be  no  complete  nor  perfect  edifice  of  Judaism.  We  must  never 
lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  in  the  religious  school  we  merely  begin 
that  study  of  Judaism,  which  should  go  on  steadily  throughout  the 
Jew's  entire  life.  If  we  realize  this  clearly  and  insist  thereon 
strongly,  we  will  undoubtedly  come  in  time  to  'hold  our  Jewish  men 
and  women  until  long  after  the  usual  period  of  religious  school  at- 
tendance. Then  at  last  we  will  be  able  to  look  forward  confidently 
and  proudly  to  a  full  and  authoritative  knowledge  of  Jewish  history 
and  of  Judaism  on  the  part  of  our  Jewish  men  and  women. 

Meanwhile,  if  now  in  our  religious  schools  we  can  accomplish  a 
little  more  than  mere  instruction  in  the  history  of  the  early  Biblical 
period,  if  we  can,  at  least,  throw  out  a  few  hints  about  the  life, 
thought,  and  teachings  of  the  rabbis  in  the  Palestinian  period,  and 
thereby  acquaint  the  children  somewhat  with  the  spirit  of  Judaism 
which  obtained  in  that  momentous  period,  we  will  have  taken  an 
important  step  forward. 

The  Sources  of  Jewish  History 

Naturally  the  chief  source  for  the  history  of  the  Biblical 
periods  is  the  Bible  itself.  But  the  Bible  is  a  large  work, 
comprising,  according  to  Jewish  tradition,  twenty-four  books, 
the  product  of  Jewish  literary  activity  extending  over  ap- 
proximately a  thousand  years.  Actually  the  Bible  is  not  so 
much  a  mere  book,  as  it  is  a  national  literature,  or  at 
least  the  remains  thereof.  It  can  readily  be  seen  that 
the  various  parts  and  books  of  the  Bible,  written  at  different 
times,  under  different  conditions,  and  by  different  authors, 
are  naturally  of  unequal  value  for  the  study  of  Jewish  his- 
tory. We  can  never,  therefore,  take  the  Bible  in  hand,  read 
it  off  word  for  word,  and  feel  confident  that  we  have  thus 


10  The  Book  of  Genesis 

gathered  the  essential  facts  of  Jewish  history.  We  must 
learn  to  study  carefully,  think  deeply,  read  between  the 
lines,  and  get  at  the  hidden  truths  beneath.  We  must  ask 
ourselves  constantly,  who  were  the  authors  of  these  narra- 
tives, from  what  sources  did  they  draw  their  material,  for 
what  purposes  did  they  write,  what  was  their  conception  of 
Jewish  history  and  of  Judaism,  and  how  can  we  best  put 
ourselves  into  their  frame  of  mind,  so  that  we  may  interpret 
their  writings,  not,  as  is  so  frequently  done,  haphazardly 
and  fantastically,  reading  into  them  all  manner  of  ground- 
less conjectures  and  wild  vagaries,  but  soberly,  constructively, 
and  Jewishly,  as  they  meant  them  to  be  interpreted.  Above 
all,  we  must  never  forget  that  history,  true  history,  is  pri- 
marily the  record  of  the  thoughts,  ambitions,  and  ideals  of 
a  people  finding  concrete  expression  in  its  daily  life.  There- 
fore, to  understand  the  history  of  even  the  early  Biblical 
period  we  need  to  do  more  than  to  merely  acquaint  our- 
selves with  the  contents  of  the  so-called  Historical  Books. 
The  Prophets  and  the  Holy  Writings,  which  mirror  so 
faithfully  the  thoughts,  beliefs,  and  aspirations  of  the  people, 
or  at  least  of  their  religious  leaders,  must  be  studied  and 
understood  in  equal  measure. 

With  the  later  periods  this  task  becomes  more  complex 
and  difficult,  yet  not  one  whit  less  imperative.  Israel's  his- 
tory after  the  close  of  the  early  Biblical  period  is  far  less 
the  chronicle  of  a  nation's  achievements  than  the  sad,  yet 
inspiring,  record  of  a  people's  sufferings,  thoughts,  aspira- 
tions, and  beliefs,  finding  expression  in  a  vast  and  diversified 
literature.  It  takes  little  account  of  deeds  of  warriors  and 
heroes,  but  it  has  much  to  tell  of  rabbis,  teachers,  and  think- 
ers, and  of  the  thoughts  they  conceived,  and  the  interpreta- 
tion they  gave  to  Judaism  as  the  result  of  much  thinking 
and  deep  and  broad  experience.  The  true  key  then  to 
Israel's  history  in  all  the  periods  following  the  Babylonian 
Exile  is  rather  the  appreciation  of  what  we  might  call  the 


The  Jewish  Religion  11 

Jewish  spirit,  than  a  mere  knowledge  of  passing  events,  the 
true  Jewish  spirit  springing  out  of  the  life  experience  of  the 
Jewish  people  in  the  face  of  all  its  trials  and  persecutions, 
and  expressing  itself  in  the  literature,  the  stories,  the  dreams, 
and  the  visions  of  Jewish  thinkers  and  teachers  for  almost 
two  thousand  years.  If  we  can  absorb  something  of  this 
Jewish  spirit,  we  shall  be  prepared  to  properly  understand 
and  interpret  our  Judaism  of  today.  Perhaps  the  stories 
from  the  rabbis,  contained  in  this  book,  may  help  in  this 
worthy  task.  At  least  they  will  show  how  the  moral  and 
spiritual  thoughts  of  the  Biblical  writers  were  interpreted, 
applied,  and  expanded  by  the  teachers  of  Judaism  of  a  later 
period,  and  will  indicate  how  we,  in  turn,  may  interpret, 
apply,  and  even  expand  these  teachings,  and  with  them 
Judaism  itself,  in  accordance  with  the  beliefs,  tendencies, 
and  needs  of  our  own  time. 

Moral  Instruction  in  the  Jewish  Religious  School 

We  have  thus  far  said  hardly  one  word  about  moral  instruction. 
This  may  seem  surprising,  since  'in  the  last  few  decades  moral  in- 
struction has  apparently  been  generally  regarded  as  the  ultimate  aim 
of  all  Jewish  religious  school  work.  Gradually,  however,  we  are 
reawaking  to  the  old  truth.  Many  modern  pedagogical  authorities 
question  whether  morals  can  be  adequately  taught  by  set  instruction. 
Ethics,  perhaps,  may  be  taught  as  the  philosophy  of  human  conduct. 
But  this  is  far  from  being  morals.  Morals  can,  strictly  speaking, 
not  be  taught  by  set  instruction,  for.  the  simple  reason  that  morals 
means,  not  knowledge,  but  right  habits;  and  habits  can  be  estab- 
lished, not  by  instruction,  but  only  by  practice.  The  most  that 
set  instruction  can  do  is  to  give  a  moral  incentive,  to  arouse  a  moral" 
impulse,  to  sow,  as  it  were,  a  seed,  which  may  dn  time  sprout  and 
ripen  into  right  habits  and  moral  conduct.  This  is,  of  course,  im- 
portant and  indispensable.  Yet  the  necessity  and  efficacy  of  set 
moral  instruction  should  not  be  exaggerated,  nor  should  too  much 
be  expected  from  it. 

Furthermore,  it  is  now  generally  realized  that  all  instruction,  when 
properly    given,    and    all    discipline,    when    judiciously    administered, 


12  The  Book  of  Genesis 

must  result  in  the  formation  of  right  habits.  We  are  constantly 
forming  habits,  some  right  and  some  wrong;  but  if  our  instruction 
be  correct,  our  discipline  wise,  and  our  environment  healthful,  the 
right  habits  will  predominate  over  the  wrong.  The  mere  insistence 
upon  punctual  attendance,  upon  recognition  of  the  teacher's  au- 
thority, upon  conscientious  preparation  of  lessons,  these  and  other 
conditions  obtaining  in  the  public  school,  are  powerful  factors  in 
the  formation  and  development  of  such  right  habits  as  punctuality, 
obedience,  and  diligence.  Association  with  comrades  in  play  is  per- 
haps an  even  more  potent  influence  in  the  formation  of  habits,  and,  if 
carried  out  under  proper  influences,  in  the  formation  of  right  habits, 
or  morals.  It  follows,  therefore,  that  it  is  not  the  sole,  nor  even 
the  main  function  of  the  religious  school  to  teach  morals,  in  the 
tfirst  place  because  it  is  questionable  whether  morals  can  actually  be 
taught  by  set  instruction,  and  in  the  second  place  because,  if  morals 
can  be  so  taught,  it  is  preposterous  and  reprehensible  that  the  main 
instruction  in  so  vital  a  subject  should  be  reserved  for  the  religious 
school  with  its  one  or  two  hours  a  week. 

The  prime  task  of  the  Jewish  religious  school,  therefore,  is  by 
no  means,  as  is  generally  supposed,  to  teach  morals.  Rather  it  is  to 
teach  the  child,  and  the  adult,  too,  if  it  can  reach  him,  Judaism;  to 
make  him  a  good,  loyal,  understanding  Jew;  but  at  the  same  time  to 
make  him  realize  that  Judaism,  more  than  any  other  religion,  is  not 
a  religion  of  mere  belief  and  blind  faith,  but  above  all  is  a  religion 
of  life,  conduct,  and  aspiration ;  that  morality  is  an  integral  part  of 
Judaism,  and  that,  therefore,  without  right  living  and  right  morals, 
one  can  not  be  truly  a  Jew.  The  influence  of  the  Jewish  religious 
school  must,  of  course,  be  positively  moral  and  upbuilding.  Moral 
teaching  and  influence  there  must  be,  but  not  too  much  set  moral 
instruction,  and  no  constant  interpretation  and  reinterpretation  of 
the  Bible  stories  only  from  the  moral  standpoint,  as  the  mere  frame- 
work upon  which  to  fasten  pretty  moral  lessons.  The  Bible  stories 
and  all  stories  should  be  told,  partly  because  of  the  moral  ideas  they 
suggest  and  the  moral  impulses  they  impart,  but  after  all  chiefly 
because  of  their  fundamental  Jewish  interest  and  significance,  be- 
cause of  the  supreme  conviction  on  the  part  of  the  teacher  that  these 
stories  contain  Jewish  history,  mirror  the  life,  thought,  and  ideals 
of  the  Jewish  people,  striving  to  know  God,  to  worship  Him  truly, 
and  to  live  the  life  which  He  has  ordained  for  man.  If  the  teacher 
tells  these  stories  properly,  voicing  her  own  positive  Jewish  knowl- 
edge and  spirit,  the  child  will  acquire  the  same  knowledge  and  spirit, 
will  learn  what  Judaism  is,  will  become  a  loyal,  earnest,  knowing 


The  Jewish  Religion  13 

Jew,  and  will  reinterpret  and  transform  his  Judaism  into  terms  of 
daily  righteousness  and  moral  conduct.  Set  moral  instruction,  there- 
fore, has  place  an  the  Jewish  religious  school  only  in  so  far  as  it 
constitutes  and  can  be  presented  as  a  natural  and  integral  part  of 
the  teaching  of  Judaism  itself.  The  fundamental,  yes,  the  sole 
task  of  the  Jewish  religious  school  is  to  teach  Judaism  by  rightly 
expounding  Jewish  history  and  Jewish  life,  and  thereby  to  make 
of  our  boys  and  girls  and  men  and  women  true  Jews,  knowing 
absolutely  that  when  once  it  has  made  of"  them  true  Jews,  it  will 
surely  have  made  of  them  moral  men  and  women  as  well, 


14  The  Book  of  Genesis 


II 

THE  BOOK  OF  GENESIS 
The  Teaching  of  Genesis  in  the  Jetvish  Religious  School 

Of  all  the  books  of  the  Bible,  Genesis  is  best  suited  for  pre- 
sentation to  little  children  just  entering  the  religious  school.  In 
the  ifirst  place  it  is  the  first  book  of  the  Bible.  And  in  the  second 
place  it  deals  with  just  the  childhood  period  of  Israel's  history,  and 
in  a  manner  which  the  child  can  readily  understand.  Its  stories  are 
less  actual  history  than  records  of  the  way  in  which  our  early 
ancestors,  with  childlike  minds,  conceived  of  life  itself,  and  of 
Israel's  history  as  having  actually  begun.  This  is  a  matter  of  prime 
importance.  Much  of  our  present  confused  thinking  about  religion 
is  due  to  the  fact  that  in  childhood  most  of  us  were  taught  that  the 
stories  of  creation,  the  flood,  the  abnormal  ages  of  the  first  genera- 
tions, and  many  other  stories  of  Genesis  were  literally  true  and  must 
be  accepted  as  such  without  question.  Modern  education  and  scientific 
environment,  however,  make  us  realize  that  this  belief  can  not  be 
maintained.  Yet  many  have  mistakenly  imagined  that  Judaism  actual- 
ly rests  upon  blind  acceptance  of  these  stories,  and  wonder  what  is 
now  left  that  they  may  still  believe,  and  what  remains  of  Judaism. 

To  avert  all  such  painful  confusion  and  uncertainty  of  religious 
belief  for  the  coming  generation,  the  teacher  must  understand  that 
these  stories  are  not  literal  history.  They  merely  express  the  way 
in  which  the  imaginative,  unscientific  mind  of  our  ancestors,  at  a 
remote  period  of  their  religious  and -cultural  evolution,  conceived  of 
creation  and  first  life  on  earth.  All  primitive  peoples  have  dealt  with 
these  same  problems  in  much  the  same  manner  and  have  found  their 
answers  to  these  problems  in  myths  and  folklore.  It  would  be  sur- 
prising, indeed,  if  our  ancestors  had  not  passed  through  this  stage  of 
cultural  evolution.  And  it  would  have  been  lamentable  if,  having 
passed  through  this  stage  of  mythology  and  folklore,  some  of  their 
myths  and  folk-tales  had  not  been  preserved  for  us,  their  descend- 
ants. We  should  be  thankful  that  this  little  fragment  of  what 


The  Book  of  Genesis  15 

must  undoubtedly  have  been  originally  a  far  larger  collection  of 
ancestral  myths,  folk-tales,  and  legends,  has  come  down  to  us,  and 
we  should  not  hesitate  to  accept  and  interpret  these  stories  as 
what  they  really  are. 

At  any  rate  it  would  be  a  gross  error  to  imagine  that,  because 
many  of  these  stories  can  not  be  literally  true,  we  need  not  teach 
them  to  our  children.  The  stories  of  Genesis  are  a  valuable  part 
of  the  wonderful  heritage,  literary  and  spiritual,  which  we  Jews 
have  received  from  our  sacred  past.  They  breathe  through  and 
through  the  spirit  of  Judaism ;  they  voice  the  thought  and  the  philos- 
ophy with  which  the  Jew  has  always  looked  out  upon  the  world; 
they  express  in  every  line  and  word  the  interpretation  he  has  given 
to  life;  and  thus,  all  in  all,  they  constitute  the  very  best  medium  to 
awaken  in  the  mind  and  heart  of  both  child  and  adult  the  first  dim 
appreciation  of  the  spirit  and  real  truth  of  Judaism.  And  if  the 
teacher  understands  and  feels  this  spirit  aright,  she  will,  in  telling 
these  stories,  impart  far  more  of  the  truth  of  Judaism  and  of  real 
Jewish  history,  than  if  the  child  be  compelled,  in  the  old  manner, 
to  learn  all  these  stories  by  rote  and  to  accept  them  as  literally  true. 

This  does  not  mean  that  the  teacher  must  begin,  "I  shall  tell  a 
story,  but  do  not  make  the  dreadful  mistake  of  believing  it  true." 
Such  procedure  would  be  ridiculous  and  futile.  If  a  story  is  well 
told,  the  hearers  will  feel,  at  least  for  the  moment,  that  it  must  be 
true  in  every  detail.  Yet  as  the  child  expands  mentally  and  spiritually, 
there  will  be  no  sudden  shock,  no  uprooting  of  the  very  foundations 
of  religious  belief,  when  he  does  realize,  sooner  oj  later,  the  true 
origin  and  significance  of  these  stories.  And  while  he  will  gradually 
acquire  this  discriminative  ability,  he  will  at  the  same  time  appre- 
ciate more  and  more  the  spiritual  truth  which  these  stories  convey, 
and  which  constitutes  the  real  history  and  the  real  essence  of  Juda- 
ism in  them. 

From  this  standpoint  Genesis  is,  of  all  books  of  the  Bible,  best 
suited  for  presentation  to  children,  just  because,  while  it  contains  so 
much  of  Judaism,  it  also  contains  so  little  of  actual,  literal  history, 
for  the  comprehension  of  which  a  certain  historical  sense  and  maturity 
are  required.  Its  stories  are,  almost  without  exception,  readily 
understood  and  enjoyed  by  the  child,  and  linger  longest  in  the  mind 
of  even  the  adult,  for  the  very  reason  that  they  are  chiefly  tradition, 
legend  and  myth. 


16  The  Book  of  Genesis 

The  Divisions  of  Genesis 

The  Book  of  Genesis  is,  in  its  present  literary  form  and 
in  its  position  as  the  first  book  of  the  Bible,  a  natural  and 
effective  introduction  to  the  Pentateuch  and,  in  a  way,  to  the 
entire  Bible.  One  central  theme  gives  it  distinct  unity  of 
thought  and  purpose.  This  Central  theme  is  God's  selection 
of  Israel  to  be  the  witness  and  messenger  of  His  truth 
and  His  law  unto  all  the  peoples  of  the  earth,  and  His  test- 
ing and  preparation  of  Israel  for  this  arduous  and  sacred 
task.  In  its  treatment  in  the  book  this  central  theme  is 
resolved  into  four  natural  and  logical  concepts,  (a)  God  and 
mankind,  (b)  God  and  Israel,  (c)  God's  purification  and 
preparation  of  Israel  for  His  service,  and  (d)  God's  provi- 
dence. The  book  itself  may  be  divided  correspondingly  into 
four  groups  or  cycles  of  stories,  (a)  chapters  I-XI,  stories 
about  mankind  in  general,  (b)  chapters  XII-XXV,  18,  the 
story  of  Abraham,  (c)  chapters  XXV,  19-XXXVI,  the  story 
of  Jacob,  and  (d)  chapters  XXXVII-L,  the  story  of  Joseph. 
Detailed  consideration  of  these  groups  of  stories  establishes 
the  relation  and  contribution  of  each  to  the  central  theme  of 
the  book. 

The  first  group  of  stories,  chapters  I-XI,  contains  a  very 
interesting  collection  of  ancient  Israelite  myths  and  folk- 
tales. They  give  the  answers  to  some  of  the  primitive  ques- 
tions of  life,  as  conceived  by  the  vivid  and  naive  imagina- 
tions of  our  early  ancestors.  Genesis  I  and  II,  for  example, 
answer  that  most  fundamental  question  of  all,  how  did  the 
world  come  into  existence  and  life  actually  begin?  Genesis 
II  and  III  form  a  collection  of  folk-tales,  carefully  worked 
together,  which  answer  in  primitive  manner  such  questions 
of  existence  as  why  the  serpent,  unlike  all  other  animals, 
crawls  upon  his  belly,  why  man  must  labor  painfully  for  his 
livelihood,  why,  unlike  the  animals,  man  wears  clothes,  and 
why  there  comes  into  man's  life  a  love  for  another  being, 


The  Book  of  Genesis  .     17 

not  related  by  blood  or  birth,  surpassing  his  love  for  father 
and  mother.  Chapter  IV  tells,  in  the  form  of  a  charming 
folk-tale,  how  men  began  to  worship  God  and  how  death 
came  into  the  world.  Chapters  VI-IX  relate  the  great  flood 
myth.  Chapter  XI  contains  the  folk-tale  of  the  origin  of 
the  different  languages  and  nations. 

Manifestly  these  first  stories  of  Genesis  are  not  history 
at  all.  They  are  without  exception  myths  and  folk-tales, 
similar  in  many  details  to  the  myths  and  folk-tales  of  other 
primitive  peoples.  In  fact,  they  contain,  particularly  in  the 
creation  and  flood  stories,  much  that  was  borrowed  directly 
from  non-Israelite  sources.  Yet  in  one  vital  respect  these 
myths  and  folk-tales  do  differ  radically  from  those  of  all 
other  peoples.  They  breathe  through  and  through  the  spirit 
of  the  one,  living  God,  the  Creator  of  the  universe  and  of 
life,  who  looks  out  upon  all  that  He  has  made,  alone  and 
unaided,  and  finds  it  very  good.  This  is  the  thought  and 
spirit  of  Judaism  in  them.  And  this  Jewish  thought  and 
spirit  distinguish  these  myths  and  folk-tales  from  all  others, 
and  make  them"  the  priceless,  eternal  heritage  of  the  Jew, 
and  only  through  him  of  the  world  at  large. 

These  stories  tell  of  the  creation  by  God,  not  of  Israel 
alone,  but  of  all  mankind.  God  is  the  Creator  and  Father 
of  all  men,  and  all  men  are  equally  His  children.  He  has 
commanded  them  to  walk  with  Him  and  live  nobly  and  use- 
fully. When  they  turn  from  Him  and  tread  forbidden  paths, 
He  punishes  them  necessarily  and  justly,  but  also  sorrow- 
fully and  reluctantly.  But  with  the  next  generation  He 
makes  a  covenant  of  love,  never  to  bring  another  flood  to 
destroy  mankind.  Instead,  should  mankind  sin  again,  He 
will  raise  up  one  little  people,  which  shall  stand  close  to  Him 
and  keep  His  law,  and  walk  faithfully  in  His  way,  and  serve 
Him  as  His  messenger  and  the  witness  of  His  truth  unto 
all  mankind.  And  through  this  people  mankind  shall  come 
at  last  to  know  God  and  to  walk  with  Him,  even  as  He  had 


18  The  Book  of  Genesis 

intended  at  creation.  This  little  people,  God's  firstborn,  as 
it  were,  was  to  be  Israel. 

The  problem  of  these  first  eleven  chapters,  and,  in  a  way, 
of  the  entire  Book  of  Genesis,  is  threefold,  (a)  the  relation 
of  all  the  peoples  of  the  earth  to  God,  the  Creator  of  all, 
(b)  the  particular  relation  of  Israel  to  God,  and  (c)  the 
particular  relation  of  Israel  to  the  other  nations.  Both  prob- 
lem and  solution  are  decidedly  universalistic  in  conception 
and  character.  God  is  not  merely  the  national  deity  of 
Israel,  as  conceived  in  the  earlier  period  of  Israel's  religious 
evolution,  nor  is  Israel  a  nation  living  only  by  and  for  itself. 
Israel  is  a  nation  among  the  other  nations  of  the  earth,  and 
its  fortunes  are  inseparably  bound  up  with  theirs.  And  Is- 
rael's God  is  not  its  God  alone,  but  the  Creator  of  the 
entire  universe  and  the  loving  Father  of  all  men.  To  Him 
alone  their  worship  is  due.  His  law  they  should  keep,  and 
in  His  way  they  should  walk.  All  this  they  must  eventually 
learn  through  Israel. 

A  universalism  so  all-embracing  and  positive,  can  have 
developed  in  Israel  and  found  such  systematic  and  definite 
expression  only  after  Israel  had  begun  to  outgrow  its  early, 
restricted  nationalism  and  nationalistic  conception  of  God 
and  religion,  through  having  come  into  close  and  protracted 
contact  with  other  nations  and  other  religions  and  'cultures. 
Then  only  did  it  commence  to  concern  itself  with  the  vital 
question  of  the  relation  of  itself,  a  little  and  weak  nation, 
to  the  mighty  empires  which  surrounded  it,  and  the  role 
which  it  was  destined  to  play  in  the  history  of  mankind  ac- 
cording to  the  all-wise  plan  of  the  Creator  of  the  universe. 
Biblical  science  has  proved  that  these  first  stories  in  their 
present,  connected,  literary  form  are,  in  the  main,  the 
product  of  the  period  beginning  in  the  first  half  of  the 
seventh  century  B.  C.,  when  Judah  became  tributary  to 
Assyria  and  was  dominated  by  Assyrian  culture  and  thought, 
and  continuing  for  almost  two  centuries,  into  the  Babylonian 


The  Book  of  Genesis  19 

Exile,  when,  torn  from  the  land  of  its  birth  and  settled  in  a 
foreign  country  and  in  a  strange  environment,  Israel  never- 
theless continued  to  exist  as  a  unique,  religious  people. 
What  more  natural  than  that  in  such  times  and  under  such 
conditions,  Israel's  spiritual  leaders  should  evolve  a  positive, 
universalistic  conception  of  God  and  of  mankind  and  of 
Israel's  own  destined  role  in  the  great,  eternal,  human 
drama?  Similar  universalistic  thoughts  and  concepts  are 
discernible  in  the  prophetic  writings  of  this  same  period; 
witness  such  passages  as  Jeremiah  XVIII,  7ff. ;  XXV,  15ff. ; 
XXVII,  2ff. ;  XXIX,  4ff.,  and  above  all  the  writings  of  the 
great,  unknown  prophet  of  the  Babylonian  Exile,  commonly 
<mown  as  Deutero-Isaiah,  Isaiah  XL-LV. 

The  procedure  of  the  authors  of  these  first  eleven  chap- 
ers  of  Genesis  is  readily  comprehended.  They  took  a  num- 
3er  of  ancient  legends  and  folk-tales,  which  had  been  cur- 
*ent  in  Israel  for  many  generations.  They  also  borrowed 
from  Babylonian  literature,  with  which  the  dominant  Baby- 
lonian culture  had  acquainted  them,  such  myths  as  those  of 
creation  (Genesis  I)  and  of  the  flood.  And  they  reinterpre- 
ted these  stories  from  the  standpoint  of  Judaism,  as  they 
had  come  to  understand  it,  and  wove  them  together  and 
wrote  them  down  in  their  present,  connected,  literary  form. 
Thus  they  led  up,  naturally  and  logically,  to  the  story  of 
Abraham  in  chapters  XII-XXV,  18,  with  its  central  thought 
of  God's  selection  of  Israel. 

Here  the  interest  of  the  authors  narrowed.  Abraham  is 
the  main  figure;  only  incidentally  do  we  hear  of  other  per- 
sons. Abraham  was  really  represented  by  these  authors  as 
the  prototype  of  the  people  ot  Israel.  The  life  of  Abraham, 
hiy  virtues  and  faults,  his  trials  and  discipline,  his  relation 
to  God  and  his  consciousness  of  divine  selection  and  mission, 
were  recounted  only  to  mirror  these  same  conditions  in 
Israel's  life.  Not  impossibly  the  man,  Abraham,  may  have 
lived,  and  may  have  been  the  actual  progenitor  of  Israel,  or 


20  The  Book  of  Genesis 

of  a  part  of^  Israel.  But  in  the  main,  these  stories  about 
)rnham,  too,  were  legends  which  sprang  up  in  ancient 
Israel  at  different  times  and  for  varying  purposes!  They 
were  handed  down  orally  for  many  generations,  until  at  last, 
during  the  eighth,  seventh  and  sixth  centuries  B.  C.  they 
were  gradually  woven  together  and  written  down  in  the  form 
in  which  we  have  them  now. 

A  careful  study  and  interpretation  of  these  stories  in  the 
light  of  the  times  and  conditions  which  produced  them, 
bring  out  clearly  the  Jewish  truth  inherent  in  them.  For  ex- 
ample, the  story  of  the  sacrifice  of  Isaac  (XXII)  is  a  legend 
which  took  form  in  prophetic  circles  of  the  northern  king- 
dom at  some  time  between  850  and  750  B.  C.  During 
this  period  the  horrible  practice  of  child-sacrifice  flourished. 
The  people  believed  that  God  demanded  the  sacrifice  of  chil- 
dren as  the  most  precious  gift  mortals  could  bring.  This 
belief  the  prophets  combated  in  every  way  possible.  Thus 
they  conceived  and  developed  this  legend  that  Abraham,  the 
traditional  ancestor  of  Israel,  also  had  thought  that  God 
demanded  such  a  sacrifice,  and  so  he  prepared  to  offer  up 
his  own  son.  But  before  the  sacrifice  could  be  completed, 
God  Himself  intervened  and  provided  for  the  sacrifice  of  a 
ram  in  place  of  the  child.  Thereby  He  signified  that  animal 
sacrifice  alone  was  acceptable  to  Him,  and  that  human  sac- 
rifice must  never  be  offered.  Such  was  the  original  form 
and  purpose  of  this  legend.  But  later  writers,  in  turn,  re- 
vised and  enlarged  upon  it.  They  now  told  that  God  had 
actually  commanded  Abraham  to  sacrifice  Isaac,  not,  how- 
ever, with  the  intention  of  really  allowing  this  sacrifice  to 
be  offered,  but  merely  to  test  Abraham's  faith  by  his  willing- 
ness to  give  up  at  the  divine  behest  that  which  was  dearest 
to  him  in  life.  Thus  this  legend,  the  origin  of  which  can 
be  so  clearly  determined,  became  in  the  hands  of  these  later 
writers  an  effective  means  of  presenting  concretely  that  fun- 


The  Book  of  Genesis  21 

damental  Jewish  doctrine  and  Jewish  virtue  of  absolute  faith 
in  God. 

In  this  way  these  writers  of  the  eighth,  seventh  and  sixth 
centuries  B.  C.  made  use  of  many  of  the  ancient  Abraham 
legends  and  traditions.  They  wove  them  together  into  one 
great  cycle  of  stories,  united  by  one  common  theme.  This 
was  the  thought  that  God  tried  Abraham  repeatedly.  For, 
as  has  been  said,  Abraham  was  to  them  less  a  single,  his- 
torical person,  than  the  prototype  of  all  Israel.  In  the  first 
group  of  stories,  in  chapters  I-XI,  they  had  told  how,  after 
mankind  had  again  departed  from  God,  God  had  determined 
to  provide  for  their  ultimate  regeneration  by  selecting  one 
people  to  receive  His  law  and  become  the  messenger  of 
His  truth  unto  all  men.  This  people  was  Israel.  The  words 
of  XII,  1-2,  spoken  by  God  to  Abraham,  but  really  meant 
by  these  authors  to  apply  to  all  Israel,  "Get  thee  out  of  thy 
country  and  from  thy  kindred  and  from  thy  father's  house, 
unto  the  land  that  I  will  show  thee  .  .  .  and  be  thou  a 
blessing  .  .  .  and  in  thee  shall  all  the  families  of  the 
earth  be  blessed",  are  the  connecting  link  between  these  two 
groups  of  stories.  They  tell,  simply  and  clearly,  of  God's 
selection  of  Abraham  and  Israel  for  this  glorious  mission. 
The  blessing  they  were  to  bring  to  all  the  families  of  the 
earth  was  the  knowledge  of  God  and  His  law.  But  selection 
alone  was  not  enough.  God's  service  is  never  easy.  His 
chosen  servant  must  possess  many  virtues,  faith,  obedience, 
willingness  to  serve,  self-restraint,  readiness  to  sacrifice  self 
for  others,  all-embracing  love  for  fellowmen.  Before  they 
could  become  truly  God's  servant  and  go  forth  into  the 
world  to  fulfill  their  divine  mission,  these  Biblical  writers 
sought  to  teach,  Abraham  and  Israel  had  to  be  repeatedly 
tried  by  God,  and  their  possession  of  these  indispensable 
qualities  and  virtues  had  to  be  tested  and  proved.  This 
thought  of  God's  trial  of  Abraham  and  of  Israel  to  prove 
their  fitness  for  their  great,  eternal,  universal  mission,  is 


22  The  Book  of  Genesis 

the  central  theme  of  the  Abraham  cycle  of  stories,  which 
makes  them  both  a  unit  in  themselves,  and  a  unit  with 
the  first  cycle  of  stories  in  I-XI  and  with  the  Jacob  and 
Joseph  cycles  which  follow. 

For  to  a  certain,  though  less  marked  degree,  not  only 
Abraham,  but  also  Jacob  and  Joseph  are  prototypes  of  Israel ; 
or  rather  God's  relation  with  these  two  patriarchs  typifies 
God's  relation  with  all  Israel.  That  Israel  might  faithfully 
discharge  its  mission,  it  must  not  only  be  tested  and  proved, 
but  if  it  do  possess  faults  and  vices,  and  do  lack  any  of  the 
requisite  virtues,  the  former  must  first  be  eradicated  and  the 
latter  developed,  before  it  can  be  ready  for  God's  service. 
Above  all  else  the  vices  of  selfishness,  covetousness  and  de- 
ceit, if  such  exist  at  all  in  Israel,  must  give  way  to  unselfish- 
ness, capacity  for  self-sacrifice,  and  perfect  righteousness. 
He  alone  who,  in  his  eagerness  to  serve  God  and  fellowmen 
truly,  can  forget  self  and  personal  advantage  entirely,  is 
worthy  of  the  divine  call.  God  works  only  with  perfect 
tools.  For  His  service  He  selects  the  best  tools  available. 
But  if  these  best  tools  be  still  imperfect,  they  must  be  cor- 
rected and  made  right,  that  they  may  be  fit  for  God's  use. 
Israel  was  the  best  tool  for  God's  service,  the  story  tells  us, 
and  these  Biblical  writers  would  have  us  believe,  better 
than  Ishmael  or  Edom,  the  other  traditional  descendants 
of  Abraham.  But  even  so  Israel  was  not  perfect.  It  had 
first  to  be  purified  and  ennobled,  that  it  might  become  ready 
to  carry  on  the  work  committed  to  Abraham,  and  which  had 
descended  to  it  as  a  precious  birthright,  of  bringing  blessing 
to  all  the  families  of  the  earth.  But  such  purification  is 
never  easy.  It  demands  years  of  trial  and  suffering  and 
bitter  struggle,  until  at  last  all  evil  inclination  is  purged  from 
the  soul.  Then  only  is  the  tool  ready  and  fit  for  God's  use. 

Such  is  the  central  theme  of  the  third  portion  of  Genesis, 
chapters  XXV,  19-XXXVI.  Here,  too,  a  number  of  ancient 
legends  were  employed  by  the  authors  in  order  to  give  con- 


The  Book  of  Genesis  23 

crete  and  forceful  expression  to  their  main  thought.  Here, 
t6o,  there  is  only  a  modicum  of  actual  history.  Jacob,  too, 
may  have  been  a  historical  person  and  a  progenitor  of  Israel, 
or  of  a  part  of  Israel.  Nevertheless,  the  real  truth  of  the 
Jacob  story  is  spiritual  rather  than  historical.  The  entire 
Jacob  story  is  a  unit.  ^It^pictures  the  complete  moral  regen- 
f ration  ^f  a  .singular^  yet  perfectly  nariiral  man,  cravenT 
•S£ifish__and  deceitful  at  the  outset,  yet  in  the  end  sublimely 
purified  and  ennobled ;  it  is  the  impressive  drama  of  a 
repentant  soul.  The  doctrine  of  repentance  which  it  presents 
4Sjhat_which  Judaism  has  formulated  and  given  to  the  world. 
Jacob  is  the  prototype  of  all  Israel,  and  Jacob's  repentance 
and  purification,  the  authors  of  this  story  imply,  and  the 
prophets  from  Hosea  on  have  taught,  are  the  repentance  and 
purification  which  all  Israel  must  undergo.  And  the  per- 
fection to  which  Jacob  at  last  attains,  is  the  perfection  for 
which  every  Jew  and  all  Israel  should  strive,  that  they  may 
become  worthy  of  and  fit  for  the  sacred  privilege  and  mis- 
sion of  service  to  fellowmen  for  which  God  has  called  them.1 
The  fourth  division  of  Genesis,  chapters  XXXVII-L,  con- 
tains an  altogether  different  kind  of  narrative.  A  few  of  the 
incidents  of  the  Joseph  story,  as,  for  example,  the  Potiphar's- 
wife  episode  and  the  figure  of  a  Semite  as  chief  counsellor 
of  Pharaoh  and  the  second  in  the  kingdom  are  probably 
borrowed  from  Egyptian  legend  and  history.1  The  name 
Joseph,  too,  is  identical  with  an  ancient  Israelite  place  or 
tribe  name,  found  upon  an  early  Egyptian  monument.  But 
beyond  this  there  is  probably  not  a  single  historical  fact  in 
the  entire  Joseph  story.  Or  if  there  be  such  facts,  they  are 
only  a  substratum  for  what  is  at  best  a  historical  romance  pure 
and  simple,  perfectly  constructed  and  forcibly  presented.  It 

1 A  more  full  and  analytic  introduction  to  the  Jacob  cycle  of 
stories  is  given  below,  pp.  222-281. 

1  Cf.  C.  F.  Kent,  Heroes  and  Crises  of  Early' Hebrew  History, 
148f. 


24  The  Book  of  Genesis 

begins  with  the  account  of  Joseph's  boyhood  and  unpleasant 
relations  with  his  brothers,  and  their  jealousy  because  of 
their  father's  undue  love  for  him  and  also  because  of  his 
dreams,  and  their  revenge  for  his  having  borne  tales  to  their 
father.  In  consequence  he  is  sold  into  Egypt  and  comes 
into  the  house  of  Potiphar.  Because  of  Potiphar's  wife  he 
is  cast  into  prison.  Here  he  meets  the  royal  butler,  and 
through  him  comes  before  Pharaoh.  He  interprets  the  king's 
dream,  and  as  a  reward  is  raised  to  an  exalted  position. 
Eventually  his  brothers  come  before  him  to  buy  corn,  but 
do  not  recognize  him.  He  deals  with  them  as  the  ruler, 
sending  them  home  with  the  desired  grain,  but  retaining  one 
in  prison  in  order  to  test  them.  They  return,  bringing  the 
youngest  brother  in  accordance  with  Joseph's  command,  and 
by  their  conduct  prove  the  regeneration  of  their  former  evil 
natures.  At  last,  the  crisis  of  the  story,  when  it  seems  that 
not  only  they,  but  also  their  old  father,  must  perish,  Joseph 
discloses  his  identity  and  a  happy  family  reunion  follows. 
It  can  be  readily  seen  that  this  is  a  complete  romance. 
One  event  leads  up  to  another  naturally  and  dramatically 
until  the  crisis  is  reached ;  the  interest  never  lags ;  the  dreams 
contribute  artistically  to  the  development  of  the  story ;  the 
portrayal  of  character  is  faithful  and  effective,  the  pathos 
real  and  touching;  and  the  moral  and  spiritual  lesson  which 
runs  through  the  entire  story  is  sincere  and  convincing. 

The  central  thought  of  the  story,  for  the  sake  of  which 
the  romance  was  written,  is  expressed  concretely  and  forci- 
/bly  in  the  words   of   Joseph   to   his   brothers    (L,   20),   "Ye 
/meant  evil  against  me;  but  God  meant  it  for  good,  to  bring 
'  to  pass,  as  it  is  this  day,  to  save  much  people  alive".     This 
thought  rounds  out  the  teachings  of  the  earlier  portions  of 
Genesis,   and   makes   of   the  book   a   single   unit   of    Jewish 
thought  and  doctrine.     Not  only  has   God  created  the  uni- 
verse   for   good,    but    He   constantly    controls    and    guides    it 
toward  its  destined  goal  of  good.     His  work  was  not  finished 


The  Book  of  Genesis  25 

with  the  single  act  of  creation,  but  it  goes  on  day  by  day, 
manifest  in  the  wonders  of  nature  and  in  the  still  more 
wonderful  evolution  of  human  history.  Lovingly  and  wisely 
God  has  endowed  man  with  free-will,  as  the  story  of  Eden 
teaches,  and  it  rests  with  man  to  choose  between  good  and 
evil.  But  even  if  man  does  choose  wrongly,  and  evil  results 
from  his  sinful  misuse  of  God's  gifts,  this  is  not  the  end. 
For  somehow,  in  ways  which  the  little  mind  of  man  can  not 
comprehend,  but  the  indubitable  effects  and  proofs  of  which 
he  can  see  in  all  history,  even  though  man  may  mean  evil, 
God  means  it  nevertheless  for  good ;  and  in  His  own  time  out 
of  all  man's  evil  God  somehow  brings  greater  good  for  all 
mankind.  God  has  called  Israel  and  revealed  to  it  His  law 
and  sent  it  forth  to  bring  this  law  unto  all  the  world.  But 
Israel  does  not  work  alone,  unsupported  by  God  who  sent 
it.  God,  too,  works  in  His  own  way,  and  His  providence 
watches  over  men  and  nations.  And  if  Israel  but  holds  fast 
to  its  faith  in  God  and  in  its  mission,  and  labors  truly  and 
loyally  as  one  people,  as  "brethren,  the  sons  of  one  man  in 
the  land  of  Canaan"  (XLII,  13),  though  danger  threaten 
and  the  future  seem  black,  it  need  not  fear.  God  is  still  with 
it,  and  the  goal  of  its,  labors  will  surely  be  attained. 

Such,  in  brief,  is  the  complete  thought  of  the  Book  of 
Genesis. 

The  Authors  of  Genesis 

The  preceding  discussion  has  made  it  clear  that  the  stories 
of  Genesis  were  not  written  down  accidentally  nor  merely 
for  the  sake  of  the  narratives  they  recount.  Their  writers 
selected  these  stories  deliberately  out  of  a  great  mass  of 
ancient  Israelite  myth,  legend,  and  tradition,  and  couched 
them, in  their  present  form  for  a  definite  purpose.  Nor  was 
their  aim  to  present  the  actual  facts  of  history.  They  must 
have  realized  that  in  the  literal  sense  much  of  their  material, 


26  The  Book  of  Genesis 

at  least  in  the  form  in  which  they  developed  it,  was  unhis- 
torical.  And  even  if  they  did  believe  that  they  were  writing 
history,  they  doubtless  understood  that  their  presentation 
was  by  no  means  complete  and  consecutive,  and  likewise, 
that  their  interest  was  only  secondarily  historical. 

We  have  seen  that  the  stories  of  Genesis  fall  naturally 
into  four  main  groups,  that  in  general  each  single  story  or 
incident  seems  to  voice  some  profound,  Jewish,  ethical  and 
religious  thought,  that  these  various  single  stories  are  in 
turn  closely  correlated,  so  that  each  group  gives  concrete 
expression  to  some  larger  and  more  significant  and  distinc- 
tive principle  of  Judaism,  and  that,  J^nally^._tb£-._BjQQk_of 
,. centering  about  the  doctrine  of  God's 


selection  and  preparation  of  Israel  to  be  His  people,  His 
witnessjand  the  bearer  of  His  law  of  life,  redemption, 
all  the  peoples  of  the  earth.  The  Book 
TiTf  Genesis  was  not  all  written  at  one  time,  nor  by  one  man, 
nor  even  by  one  single  group  of  men.  It  is  the  product  of 
literary  activity  in  both  the  northern  and  southern  kingdoms, 
extending  over  approximately  four  hundred  years,  from  the 
beginning  of  the  ninth  to  the  end  of  the  sixth  century  B. 
C.,  or  probably  even  a  little  later.  This  long  and  eventful 
period  witnessed  the  most  momentous  events  in  Israel's 
history,  the  rise  and  decay  of  prophecy,  the  downfall  of 
both  northern  and  southern  kingdoms,  the  exile  of  Judah, 
the  nation,  to  Babylon,  and  the  eventual  return  of  a  fragment 
thereof  as  a  religious  community.  During  this  eventful 
period  religious  and  ethical  ideas,  beliefs,  and  principles  nat- 
jUrally  experienced  a  far-reaching  evolution.  The  thoughts 
ind  outlook  of  the  later  writers  of  Genesis  were  necessarily 
Far  broader,  higher,  and  more  inclusive  than  those  of  their 
>redecessors.  It  was  these  very  latest  writers  who  gave  the 
book  its  present  form,  and  added  to,  recast,  and  worked  into 
it  their  own  universalistic  conception  of  God  and  of  man- 
kind and  of  the  life  and  destiny  of  Israel. 


The  Book  of  Genesis  27 

A  moment's  thought  shows  that  the  religious  and  ethical 
teachings  of  Genesis,  and  the  evident,  underlying  purpose  of 
the  entire  book  accord  completely  with  the  teachings  of  the 
great  prophets  of  Israel.  The  conceptions  of  God  as  the 
sole  Creator,  and  of  the  absolute  goodness  of  His  creation, 
of  human  free-will  and  responsibility,  of  sin  and  repentance, 
of  the  divine  selection  and  preparation  of  Israel,  of  the 
purifying  and  ennobling  effects  of  God's  trial  of  His  chil- 
dren, of  the  manifestation  of  God's  power,  providence,  and 
love  in  human  history,  these  and  all  the  other  teachings  of 
Genesis  find  repeated  and  detailed  expression  in  the  sublime 
utterances  of  Israel's  prophets.  Or,  rather,  the  teachings 
of  Israel's  prophets  are  concretely  illustrated  and  enforced 
by  these  stories  of  Genesis.  For  the  most  part  the  prophets 
presented  their  thoughts  and  teachings  in  abstract  form. 
They  could  hardly  have  done  otherwise.  But  the  unedu- 
cated and  untrained  masses  could  only  dimly  comprehend 
the  full  significance  and  application  to  their  own  lives  of  the 
prophets'  words.  Still  today  the  human  mind  finds  it  easier 
and  more  natural  to  visualize  ideas  and  to  think  concretely 
rather  than  abstractly.  Could  the  teachings  of  the  prophets 
be  expressed  concretely,  and  their  application  to  the  lives  of 
individuals  and  to  the  collective  life  of  Israel  be  positively 

i  illustrated,  they  would  certainly  be  much  better  understood, 
and  in  all  likelihood  much  more  widely  accepted  and  ap- 
plied by  the  people. 

Just  this  was  the  underlying  and  conscious  purpose  of 
most  of  these  writers  of  Genesis ;  and  not  merely  of  the 
writers  of  Genesis,  but  of  the  authors  of  the  greater  part 
of  the  Pentateuch  and  of  a  considerable  portion  of  the  entire 
Bible.  Hosea  proclaimed  the  doctrine  of  repentance  and 
divine  love  and  forgiveness,  but  the  stories  of  the  flood,  of 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  and  of  Jacob  showed  concretely  what 
true  repentance  is,  and  how  divine  forgiveness  may  be  at- 
tained. Isaiah  spoke  of  faith,  but  the  story  of  Abraham 


28  The  Book  of  Genesis 

told  what  absolute  faith  in  God  really  means.  All  the 
prophets  insisted,  more  or  less  consciously,  upon  the  con- 
ception of  God  as  the  controller  and  guide  of  all  history, 
and  particularly  of  Israel's  history.  But  the  story  of  Joseph 
illustrates  concretely  and  convincingly  the  wondrous  way  in 
which  God's  providence  constantly  works  through  history. 
Deutero-Isaiah  gave  clear  and  positive  expression  to  the 
doctrine  of  Israel's  selection  by  God  and  its  mission  to  all 
the  peoples  of  the  earth,  but  the  entire  Book  of  Genesis,  as 
cast  into  its  present  form  by  its  latest  writers  and  revisers, 
tells  concretely  why  and  how  God  chose  Israel,  and  gradually 
disciplined  and  prepared  it  for  its  sublime  task. 

Thus  the  thought  of  almost  the  entire  Book  of  Genesis 
is  prophetic,  and  its  purpose  is  clearly  to  enforce  and  apply 
the  teachings  of  the  prophets  by  means  of  concrete  illustra- 
tions based  upon  Israel's  ancient  traditions  and  legends.  It 
may  therefore  be  inferred  that  in  the  main  these  authors  of 
Genesis  were  followers  of  the  great  prophets,  filled  with  con- 
^viction  and  enthusiasm  for  the  prophetic  conception  of  Is- 
rael's history  and  religion.  They  sought  to  support  the 
prophetic  movement  by  concretizing  the  fundamental  pro- 
phetic teachings  and  principles  in  narrative  form,  so  that 
they  might  be  more  fully  understood  and  applied  by  the 
people.  In  particular  they  sought  to  enforce  the  basic  pro- 
phetic doctrine,  that  God  has  been  and  will  be  ever  present 
in  Israel's  history,  manifesting  His  divine  power  and  love 
and  purpose  with  Israel,  and  that  the  people  can  always 
assure  themselves  of  His  protection  and  favor  by  walking 
with  Him  truly  and  living  in  accordance  with  His  law,  which, 
in  His  love,  He  had  revealed  to  them,  and  by  discharging 
faithfully  the  mission  for  which  He  had  chosen  them.  These 
writers,  though  frequently  manifesting  literary  powers  of  the 
highest  merit,  were  not  the  great  prophets  themselves,  and 
on  -the  whole  there  is  little  originality  of  prophetic  thought 
in  their  writings.  They  were  rather  ardent  followers  and 


The  Book  of  Genesis  29 

supporters    of    the    prophets    who    sought    to    win    for    their 
masters  a  larger  and  more  comprehending  audience. 

The  Religious  and  Spiritual  Significance  of  the   Stories  of 

Genesis 

Just    because    the    prophetic    idea    and    movement    were 

fundamentally    ethical    and   moral,    these    stories    of    Genesis 

^ound  a  positive  ethical  and  moral  note.     But  they  teach,  not 

abstract    ethics    and    morals,    but    ethics    and    morals    as    an 

/integral  part  of   Israel's   religion,   as   conceived   and  evolved 

[through   Israel's   religious   history,   and   from   the   standpoint 

of  Israel's  God  and  the  standard  of  life  established  by  Him. 

'The  patriarchs  are  each  models  of  Jewish  life  and  teaching. 

Abraham's    hospitality,    his    faith    in    God,    his    readiness    to 

make  even  the  supreme  sacrifice  of  his  only,  beloved  child, 

typify  the  Jewish  ideal  of  hospitality,  of  faith,  sacrifice  and 

obedience.     Not  Abraham's  faith  alone  is  pictured,  but  also 

and   even  more,  the  Jew's   eternal   faith   in  the  God  of  his 

fathers.     Abraham  is  far  less  a  historical  character  than  the 

type  of  all  Jewish  life,  faith  and  devotion. 

Similarly  Jacob,  at  first  deceitful,  covetous  and  un- 
scrupulous, yet  in  the  end  purified,  noble  and  magnanimous, 
is  less  a  historical  person  than  the  exemplar  of  the  great, 
eternal  truth,  first  fully  enunciated  by  Hosea,  of  the  power 
of  true  repentance,  repentance  which  comes  not  quickly  nor 
easily,  but  as  the  result  of  long  and  bitter  trial  and  purgation, 
when  through  the  dark  and  terrifying  night  we  wrestle  with 
the  evil  spirit  of  our  own  lower  selves  and  base  inclinations, 
and  at  last,  when  the  dawn  of  the  new  day  breaks,  we  step 
forth  triumphant,  purified  and  regenerate,  to  live  a  new  life, 
the  life  which  God  has  ever  called  upon  the  Jew  to  live. 

Joseph,  too,  hero  of  a  beautiful  romance,  is  the  inspiring 
pattern  of  the  characteristically  Jewish  virtues  of  self-control, 
resistance  to  temptation,  high  idealism,  loyalty  to  kindred, 


30  The  Book  of  Genesis 

people,  and  religion.  Above  all,  he  is  the  exponent  o,f  the 
profound  faith  in  God's  goodness,  wisdom,  and  providence, 
which  constitutes  the  fundamental  conception  of  God  that 
Judaism  has  evolved  and  ever  upheld. 

All  in  all,  therefore,  Genesis  contains,  not  literal  history, 
but  an  illustrated  record  of  many  of  the  fundamental  spir- 
itual truths  which  Israel  has,  through  long  and  often  bitter 
and  grievous  experience,  discovered,  and  proclaimed  to  the 
world.  Therefore  a  true  knowledge  of  Genesis  presupposes 
a  full  appreciation  of  the  prophetic  origin  and  spiritual  sig- 
nificance of  the  book.  Such  real  appreciation  must  bring 
with  it  clear  understanding  of,  and  firm  belief  in,  these  prin- 
ciples of  Judaism. 

Accordingly  in  teaching  Genesis,  the  guiding  principle  should  be, 
not  so  much  to  force  the  child  to  accept  literally  all  the  tales  and 
stories  of  the  book,  but  to  make  him  feel  the  spirit  of  Judaism 
which  breathes  'in  these  stories,  and  receive  them  with  firm  convic- 
tion in  the  principles  of  Judaism  they  so  forcibly  illustrate.  If  the 
teacher  can  bring  these  things  home  to  the  little  child,  with  his 
receptive  and  trusting  soul,  a  ifirm  and  lasting  spiritual  foundation 
will  have  been  laid  upon  which  to  erect  in  later  years  the  permanent 
structure  of  Jewish  knowledge,  Jewish  belief,  Jewish  faith  and 
Jewish  life. 

Supplementary  Readings,   Verses  and  Midrashic  Stories 

In  connection  with  each  lesson  we  give  sometimes  one  and  some- 
times two  verses,  to  be  memorized  by  the  children.  As  a  rule  one 
verse  is  from  the  particular  story  of  Genesis  under  consideration,  and 
may  be  regarded  as  the  key-sentence  to  the  spiritual  lesson  which 
the  story  conveys.  The  other  verse  is  taken  from  some  later  book 
of  the  Bible,  and  serves  to  reenforce  the  thought  of  the  first  verse. 
These  verses  are  supplemented  by  a  Biblical  passage,  chiefly  from  the 
Psalms,  which  gives  even  more  full  and  concrete  expression  to  the 
same  spiritual  truth.  These  passages  should  be  carefully  studied  by 
the  teacher,  and  then  read  to  the  class  in  such  intelligent,  convincing 
and  sympathetic  manner  that  the  children  must  feel  the  spiritual  truth 
which  the  reading  seeks  to  bring  out.  If  not  too  long,  and  the  chil- 


The  Book  of  Genesis  31 

dren  respond  readily  to  such  work,  the  entire  psalm  or  portions  thereof 
may.be  committed  to  memory.  This  is,  however,  altogether  optional. 
In  this  way  the  children  will  become  somewhat  familiar  with  other, 
little  studied  portions  of  the  Bible.  Finally,  in  connection  with  each 
lesson  a  number  of  stories  from  the  Midrash  are  given,  that  great, 
spiritual  treasure-house  of  post-Biblical  tradition  and  legend.  These 
stories,  so  far  as  possible,  deal  with  the  Biblical  character  or  incident 
under  discussion.  But  in  the  main  they  are  selected  chiefly  because 
they,  too,  illustrate,  though  not  infrequently  from  a  slightly  different 
standpoint,  the  same  spiritual  truths  as  the  Biblical  stories  and  read- 
ings, and  serve  to  show  how  these  truths  and  principles  continued 
and  developed  in  the  post-Biblical  period,  and  found  expression  at 
the  hands  of  the  rabbis. 

In  all  this  work  it  must  be  constantly  borne  in  mind  that  it  is 
the  teacher's  task,  not  to  preach  to  the  children,  but  merely  to  tell 
the  stories  and  read  the  Biblical  selections ;  but  to  do  this  so  effec- 
tively that  the  children  will  catch  almost  unconsciously  the  spirit  of 
the  lesson,  and  will  make  a  part  of  their  own  belief  and  practice 
the  principles  of  Judaism  which  the  lessons  convey.  In  this  indirect 
way  alone  can  moral  instruction  be  given  and  moral  impulses 
awakened.  Children  will  not  listen  patiently  to  preaching.  But 
they  will  hearken  with  pleasure  if  the  stories  be  well  told,  and  will 
remember  the  stories  and,  even  more,  the  spiritual  truths  they  ex- 
press, and  thus  they  will  acquire  a  steadily  growing  and  expanding 
knowledge  of  the  fundamental  teachings  of  Judaism.  This,  we  be- 
lieve, should  be  the  real  aim  of  the  Jewish  religious  school. 


32  The  Book  of  Genesis 

III 
PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS  FOR  THE  TEACHER 

The  preparation  of  lessons  can  not  be  taken  too  seriously  by  the 
teacher.  She  must  realize  constantly  that  she  is  undertaking  a 
sacred  task,  for  the  proper  performance  of  which  too  great  an  effort 
can  not  be  made.  She  should  devote  as  much  time  as  possible  within 
reason  to  the  acquisition  of  useful  knowledge,  and  should  sift  and 
classify  this  knowledge,  that  she  may  apply  it  readily  to  her  work. 
Unless  conscious  of  the  sacredness  of  her  task  and  willing  to  give 
herself  to  it  wholeheartedly,  and  to  fit  herself  as  thoroughly  as  pos- 
sible for  it,  better  perhaps  that  she  do  not  undertake  it. 

In  preparation  she  should  make  constant  use  of  the  Bible  itself. 
The  Biblical  reader  accompanying  this  work  is  designed  primarily  for 
the  children's  use.  It  can  never  completely  supersede  the  Bible  in 
the  teacher's  preparation.  Nor  should  she  be  satisfied  with  a  single 
cursory  reading  of  the  chapter  or  chapters  containing  the  lesson  of 
the  week.  These  should  be  read  repeatedly  in  order  that  all  their 
truth  and  full  meaning  may  be  realized  and  appreciated.  If  possible, 
they  should  be  studied  in  connection  with  other  helpful  books  arid 
guides.  A  carefully  selected  bibliography  is  given  at  the  close  of 
this  chapter. 

It  is  essential  that  the  teacher  know  far  more  than  she  endeavor 
to  impart.  She  must  speak  with  large  authority,  because-  in  the 
child's  mind  she  is  invariably  an  authority  surpassing  even  the  parents. 
It  often  happens  that  our  religious  school  teachers  content  themselves 
with  learning  only  what  they  expect  to  repeat  to  the  children  on  the 
following  day,  and  no  more.  This  is  unfortunate  and  slipshod 
preparation,  and  must  result  in  well-nigh  worthless  instruction. 

The  teacher  should  remember  that  she  is  dealing,  not  with  people 
of  her  own  age  and  mental  maturity,  but  with  children,  and  that  she 
can  teach  effectively  only  when  she  puts  herself  into  their  frame  of 
mind,  and  speaks  on  the  level  of  their  intelligence. 

She  should  constantly  endeavor  to  make  the  lessons  live  and  be  of 
actual  practical  significance  for  the  life  of  the  child.  She  should 
seek  not  merely  to  impart  abstract,  theoretical  knowledge  of  Judaism 
and  of  Jewish  history  and  morals,  but  she  should  endeavor  always  to 


Practical  Suggestions  for  the  Teacher  33 

bring  the  children  to  feel  the  moral  and  spiritual  truths  which  the 
lessons  convey,  and  to  apply  these  teachings  to  their  actual  lives  and 
daily  conduct.  The  instruction  should  be  as  concrete  as  possible. 
In  addition  to  the  stories  and  verses  from  Bible  and  Midrash,  the 
teacher  should  illustrate  the  lessons  to  a  reasonable  extent  with  in- 
cidents, stories  and  anecdotes  taken  from  present-day  life,  particularly 
from  the  lives  of  children.  There  are  plenty  of  useful  collections 
of  such  stories  readily  accessible.  In  using  these  stories,  howevei, 
the  teacher  must  at  all  times  guard  against  the  danger  of  letting 
them  seem  to  outweigh  in  importance  or  impression  upon  the  child 
those  positively  Jewish  stories  taken  from  the  Bible  or  the  Midrash. 
This  would  naturally  tend  to  minimize  the  essential  Jewishness  of  the 
lesson. 

When  doubts  or  difficulties  arise,  or  when  the  children  ask  trouble- 
some questions,  the  teacher  should  always  answer  with  perfect 
frankness  and  honesty.  There  are  many  Biblical  problems  still  un- 
solved, and  there  is  much  about  the  Bible  which  even  the  greatest 
scholars  do  not  yet  know.  The  honest  teacher  should  never  fear  to 
say,  "I  do  not  know."  At  the  same  time  a  conscientious  effort  should 
be  made  to  know  as  much  as  possible,  and  to  forestall  the  difficult 
and  delicate  questions  which  the  children  may  ask.  Above  all  no 
attempt  should  be  made  to  harmonize  or  rationalize  contradictions 
or  discrepancies  in  Biblical  narratives.  This  merely  evades  or  be- 
clouds the  issue,  and  ultimately  leads  to  confusion  and  disbelief.  It 
often  suffices,  particularly  in  the  case  of  miracles,  to  say,  what  is  after 
all  the  full  truth,  "This  is  the  way  in  which  our  fathers,  at  an  early 
period  of  their  history,  believed  these  things  to  have  happened". 
In  this  way  the  question  constantly  asked  by  children,  "Is  it  true?", 
will  receive  the  only  honest  and  satisfying  answer. 

The  teacher  should  at  all  times  bear  in  mind  the  central  aim  of 
her  work.  Each  lesson  should  deal  with  one  distinctive  spiritual 
and  moral  truth  and  principle.  This  the  teacher  must  bring  home  as 
forcibly  as  possible.  Every  word  of  instruction  must  subserve  the 
general  purpose  of  the  lesson.  Not  only  that,  but  the  different 
lessons  should  not  stand  alone;  all  should  bear  close  and  definite 
relation  to  each  other,  so  that,  when  the  year's  work  is  'finished,  some 
positive,  concrete,  and  worthy  end  will  have  been  attained.  Similarly 
and  on  a  larger  scale  there  should  be  perfect  coordination  in  the  work 
of  the  successive  classes.  Each  year  and  each  class  is  merely  a  part 
of  the  whole  school  organization,  and  the  work  of  each  class  should 
be  so  planned,  and  the  work  of  all  classes  so  coordinated,  that  when 
the  school  period  is  completed,  the  ultimate  goal  will  have  been  at- 


34  The  Book  of  Genesis 

tained,    and    a    firm    foundation    will    have    been    laid    for    the   Jewish 
belief,  Jewish  practice,  and  Jewish  life  of  the  child. 

The  teacher  should  endeavor  to  bring  out  constantly  the  story  of 
Israel,  to  make  the  children  realize  that  the  stories  told  are,  as  it 
were,  merely  chapters  in  Israel's  great  and  glorious  history.  There 
should  be  conscious  endeavor  on  the  teacher's  part  to  further  the 
children's  sympathy  with  Israel's  history  and  to  develop  their  pride 
that  they  are  Jews,  descendants  of  the  traditional  ancestors  about 
whom  they  have  heard,  in  other  words  to  develop  their  Jewish  sub- 
consciousness  and  self-consciousness.  If  this  be  well  done,  and  be 
coupled  with  a  proper  knowledge  of  Jewish  history  and  of  Judaism, 
the  foundation  will  be  well  laid  and  the  children  will  become  in  time 
the  conscious,  loyal,  earnest  Jews  we  need  and  want,  and  whom  the 
religious  school  must  help  to  make. 


Bibliography  35 

IV 
BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Montefiore,  Claude  G.,  The  Bible  for  Home  Reading,  vol.  I,  pp.  1-59; 
554-589 

Jacobs,  Ella,  Methods  of  Teaching  Primary  Grades,  Courses  A  and 
B.  (The  Jewish  Chautauqua  Society,  Correspondence  School 
publications) 

Kohn,  Eugene,  A  Manual  for  Teaching  Biblical  History  (The  United 
Synagogue  of  America  publications) 

Kent,  Charles  Foster,  and  Lehman,  Eugene,  The  Junior  Bible,  Series 
I,  Early  Heroes  and  Heroines 

Lehman,    Eugene,    The   Jewish    Teacher 

Harris,  Maurice  H.,  The  People  of  the  Book,  vol.  I 

Ginzberg,  Louis,  The  Legends  of  the  Jews,  4  vols.  (Jewish  Publica- 
tion Society) 

Polano,  H.,  Selections  from  the  Talmud 

Isaacs,  Abram  S.,  Stories  from  the  Rabbis 

Rappaport,  Samuel,  Tales  and  Maxims  from  the  Midrash 

Rappaport,  Samuel,  Tales  and  Maxims  from  the  Talmud  t 

Weiss,  L.,  Talmudic  and  other  Legends 

Cohen,  Isabel  E.,  Legends  and   Tales 

"Aunt  Naomi",  Jewish  Fairy   Tales  and  Fables 

Cohen,  Henry,   Talmudic  Sayings 

Gottheil,  Gustave,  Sun  and  Shield 

Geikie,  Cunningham,  Hours  with  the  Bible 

Gould,  Frederick  J.,  Stories  for  Moral  Instruction 

Gould,-  Frederick  J.,  Conduct  Stories 

Enelow,  Hyman  G.,  The  Significance  of  the  Agada  (Central  Confer- 
ence of  American  Rabbis,  yearbook,  vol.  XXIV  (1914),  263-300; 
also  published  separately  as  a  reprint) 

Marcuson,  Isaac  E.,  The  Story  in  Religious  School  Work  (Central 
Conference  of  American  Rabbis,  yearbook  vol.  XXIV  (1914), 
346-351 ;  also  published  separately  as  a  reprint) 

Jewish  Encyclopedia,  selected  articles,  such  as  Abraham,  Adam,  Cre- 
ation, Flood,  Folk-Lore,  Genesis,  etc. 

Hastings'  Dictionary  of  the  Bible,  selected  articles 


36  The  Book  of  Genesis 

Sheffield,  Alfred  Dwight,   The  Old  Testament  Narrative 

Kent,  Charles  Foster,   The  Heroes  and  Crises  of  Early  Hebrew  His- 
tory (The  Historical  Bible  Series) 

Kent,    Charles    Foster,    The    Beginnings    of    Hebrew    History     (The 
Students'  Old  Testament  Series) 

Driver,   Samuel  R.,  Introduction  to  the  Literature  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. 
Genesis. 

Gunkel,  Hermann,  The  Legends  of  Genesis 

Mercer,  Samuel  A.  B.,  Extra-Biblical  Sources  for  Hebrew  and  Jewish 
Plistory 

Kent,  Charles  Foster,  Biblical  Geography  and  History  (The  Historical 
Bible  Series') 

Smith,    George   Adam,   Historical  Geography   of   the   Holy   Latid 

MacCoun,  Townsend,  Bible  Atlas. 

Kohler,  K,  Jewish  Theology 


The  Story  of  Creation  37 


I 
THE  STORY  OF  CREATION 

(Genesis    I  -  II,  4) 

And  God  saw  everything  that  He   had  made,  and,  behold,  it 
was  very  good.     (Genesis  I,  31.) 

The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God, 

And  the  firmament  showeth  His  handiwork.     (Psalm  XIX,  2.) 

Read  Psalm  VIII,  with  particular  emphasis  on  vv.  3-6. 

The  Book  of  Genesis  opens  most  naturally  with  an  ac- 
count of  the  creation  of  the  universe.  This  account  has  been 
generally  accepted  as  historically  correct.  A  careful  analysis 
of  the  narrative,  however,  as  well  as  the  discoveries  of 
modern  science,  prove  that  this  can  not  be  actual  history, 
but,  as  has  already  been  indicated  in  the  Introduction,  is  a 
myth  pure  and  simple,  many  of  the  details  of  which  have 
been  borrowed  from  a  much  older  Babylonian  myth. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  it  does  not  lessen  in  the  least  the 
spiritual  value  of  this  creation  story  for  Judaism.  For  even 
though  many  of  the  details  be  borrowed  from  the  Babylonian, 
the  whole  story  has  been  rewritten  and  recast  and  reani- 
mated by  the  Jewish  spirit,  until  it  has  become  virtually 
new.  In  its  present  form  it  gives  expression,  more  forceful 
and  sublime,  perhaps,  than  any  other  passage  of  the  Bible, 
or,  for  that'  matter,  of  any  other  book,  to  the  fundamental 
Jewish  conception  of  God,  majestic,  transcendental,  and  spir- 
itual, who,  Himself,  in  His  real  being,  is  unknowable  by 
man,  who  can  be  comprehended  only  through  consideration 
of  the  grandeur,  beauty,  wisdom,  and  goodness  of  His  works. 
As  the  Psalmist  has  said, 


38  The  Book  of  Genesis 

The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God, 

And  the   firmament   showeth   His   handiwork. 

One  fact  should  be  realized  at  the  outset,  that  this  story 
was  hardly  meant  to  be  primarily  an  objective-  account  of 
the  way  in  which  creation  was  thought  to  have  actually  hap- 
pened. The  author  has  merely  taken  the  older  myth,  systema- 
tized its  details,  and  adapted  it  to  his  purposes.  One  of  these 
purposes  was  to  show  that  the  Sabbath  of  Judaism  was,  so 
he  believed,  the  oldest  religious  institution  of  mankind,  estab- 
lished by  God  at  the  very  moment  of  creation.  In  "other 
words,  not  the  details  of  the  story  are  essential,  or  were 
essential,  even  in  the  author's  mind,  but  rather  the  fact  of 
the  institution  of  the  Sabbath  as  the  day  of  rest  and  worship 
of  God.  and  the  fitting  climax  to  the  six  days  of  useful 
labor,  first  proclaimed  by  Israel,  and  learned  from  Israel  by 
civilized  mankind. 

Not  only  this,  but  the  story  reflects  through  and  through 
the  unique  Jewish  outlook  upon  the  universe  and  upon  life. 
The  concluding  words  of  the  account  of  each  day's  creation, 
"And  God  saw  that  it  was  good",  and  the  concluding  words 
of  the  entire  story,  "And  God  saw  everything  that  He  had 
made,  and,  behold,  it  was  very  good",  express  the  funda- 
mental Jewish  belief  in  the  goodness  and  wisdom  of  God, 
and  in  the  goodness  and  wise  purpose  of  this  earth  and  of 
human  life  thereon.  Judaism  has  always  taught  that  this 
world  is  good,  and  that  life  here  is  worth  living  for  its  own 
sake,  that  God  has  created  everything  in  wisdom  and  love, 
and  has  placed  man  here  for  a  good  and  wise  purpose,  to 
live  usefully  and  nobly  in  accordance  with  the  divine  will, 
as  it  is  given  him  to  know  this. 

In  contrast  with  many  other  religions,  ancient  and  mod- 
ern, Judaism  has  never  taught  the  absolute  existence  of  evil 
alongside  of  good.  On  the  contrary,  Judaism  has  always 
insisted  that  since  God  is  a  God  of  good,  everything  which 
He  has  created  must  be  for  good,  and  that  the  normal  order 


The  Story  of  Creation  39 

of  things  is  only  good.  Only  through  man's  misuse  of  God's 
gifts  or  defiance  of  God's  w,ill  and  disregard  of  His  purpose 
in. life  does  evil  come.  The  following  parable,  told  by  the 
wise  rabbis  of  old  in  commenting  upon  this  story  of  creation, 
expresses  this  principle  most  forcibly.  When  God  first 
created  the  trees  they  rejoiced  to  be  alive,  for  existence 
seemed  so  good.  But  when,  the  next  day,  He  created  the 
iron,  the  trees  all  trembled  with  fear  and  said,  "This  iron 
will  chop  us  down".  But  God  reassured  them,  "No,  not 
until  you  trees  yourselves  furnish  the  handle  to  the  axe,  will 
the  iron  have  power  to  harm  you".  So  it  is  in  the  life  of 
all  men;  from  God  comes  good  alone,  and  all  His  gifts  are 
for  some  purpose  of  good ;  but  when  men  misuse  these  gifts, 
or  fail  to  apply  them  to  their  appointed  purpose,  evil  results. 
That  is  the  only  real  evil  in  the  world.  Thus  Judaism  has 
ever  believed,  and  has  proclaimed  the  truth,  voiced  through- 
out this  story  of  creation,  that  life  itself  and  the  universe 
and  everything  connected  therewith  are  good,  that  God  has 
created  all  in  wisdom,  goodness  and  love,  and  has  placed 
man  at  the  head,  has  fashioned  him  in  His  own  image,  and 
endowed  him  with  all  high  qualities,  in  order  that  he  may 
rule  this  universe  wisely,  in  the  way  and  for  the  purpose 
which  He  has  ordained.  Again  in  the  words  of  the  Psalmist, 

Thou  hast  made  him  but  little  lower  than  the  angels, 

And  hast  crowned  him  with  glory  and  honor. 

Thou  hast  made  him  to  have  dominion  over  the  works  of  Thy  hands; 

Thou  hast  put  all  things  under  his  feet. 

Understanding  this  Jewish  conception  of  the  nature  of 
the  universe,  and  of  the  position  of  man,  and  of  the  exalted 
purpose  of  his  existence,  the  divine  command  to  observe  the 
Sabbath  acquires  new  significance.  Life  has  its  purpose  of 
good  appointed  by  God.  But  this  purpose  of  good  does  not 
realize  itself  nor  come  of  its  own  accord.  It  can  be  attained 
only  by  man's  earnest  and  conscientious  !abor.  God  has  or- 


40  The  Book  of  Genesis 

dained  that  man  should  be  colaborer  with  Him  in  the  world's 
work.  Thereby  He  has  exalted  man  above  all  other  creatures. 
In  this  labor  man  finds  his  chief  pleasure,  and  life  comes  to 
have  value,  and  to  seem  sweet  and  beautiful  and  worth  liv- 
ing. The  life  of  that  person  who  finds  no  real  work  to  do, 
must  seem  indeed  dull  and  sad,  useless  and  misspent.  In 
other  words,  Judaism  teaches  that  man's  work  is  one  of  the 
good  things,  in  fact,  the  crowning  blessing  of  life,  ordained 
by  God. 

Yet  all  labor  and  toil,  day  in  and  day  out,  must  take  the 
zest  out  of  life,  and  make  existence  dreary  and  cheerless. 
God  has  created  man  to  be  the  lord  of  the  universe,  and  not 
its  slave  or  drudge.  For  just  this  reason  God  has  instituted 
the  Sabbath,  and  has  bidden  man  rest  on  this  day  from 
labor  and  toil,  that  he  may  rejoice  in  the  consideration  of 
the  goodness  and  the  beauty  of  the  universe  and  of  life,  and 
in  the  knowledge  of  the  dignity  and  the  opportunity  of  his 
exalted  position,  and  that  he  may  thank  God  reverently  and 
joyfully  for  all  His  bounty  and  love.  It  is  the  precious 
Sabbath  which  enables  men  to  rightly  appreciate  and  enjoy 
the  sacred  privilege  of  life.  And,  as  our  prayer-book  says, 
so  nobly  and  so  truly,  "He  alone,  who  has  labored  well  dur- 
ing the  week,  and,  according  to  his  strength,  has  contributed 
to  the  greater  work  of  humanity,  will  enjoy  the  sweetness 
of  the  Sabbath.  To  him  who,  obedient  to  Thy  law,  has  per- 
formed what  was  given  him  to  'do,  the  Sabbath  is  a  fountain 
of  joy,  of  hope  and  strength".  Therefore  God  has  instituted 
the  Sabbath  for  Israel  and  for  all  mankind,  and  has  made 
it  the  sign  of  His  everlasting  covenant  with  Israel  (Exodus 
XXXI,  16f.).  And  through  His  prophet  He  has  spoken 
unto  Israel: 

If  thou  turn  away  thy  foot  because  of  the  Sabbath, 

From  pursuing  thy  business  on  My  holy  day ; 

And  call  the  Sabbath  a  delight, 

And  the  holy  of  the  Lord  honorable; 


The  Story  of  Creation  41 

And  shalt  honor  it,  not  doing  thy  wonted  ways, 
'  Nor  pursuing  thy  business,  nor  speaking  thereof ; 
Then  shalt  thou  delight  thyself  in  the  Lord, 
And  I  will  make  thee  to  ride  upon  the  high  places  of  the  earth, 
And  I  will  feed  thee  with  the  heritage  of  Jacob  thy  father; 
For  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it.     (Isaiah  LVIII,  13f.) 

NOTES 

In  presenting  this  story  of  creation,  the  teacher  should  not  insist 
upon  the  children's  memorizing  all  the  petty  details,  but  should  en- 
deavor constantly  to  bring  out  the  basic  Jewish  ideas  of  the  good- 
ness of  God  and  of  all  His  creation,  and  of  the  divinely  appointed 
purpose  of  good  of  human  existence,  and  of  the  beauty  and  blessing 
of  the  Sabbath,  and  of  the  proper  manner  of  observing  it. 

Inasmuch  as  very  many  people  have  regarded  this  story  as  ab- 
solute history,  various  interpretations  of  the  seven  days  of  cre- 
ation have  been  given,  all  seeking  to  harmonize  the  story  with  the 
fact,  established  by  science,  that  the  earth  and  life  thereon  are  the 
results  of  slow,  evolutionary  processes,  extending  probably  over 
millions  of  years.  Often  it  is  claimed  that  in  this  chapter  the  word 
"day"  means,  not  just  twenty-four  hours,  but  a  very  long  and  indefi- 
nite period  of  time.  This  explanation,  and  all  similar  attempts  at 
rationalization,  are  altogether  valueless.  The  Jewish  author  of  this 
chapter  told  purposely  that  creation  required  only  six  days,  and 
that  God  rested  on  the  seventh  day,  and  arranged  all  the  details  of 
the  story  to  fit  into  this  scheme  in  order,  as  has  been  said,  to  estab- 
lish his  point,  that  the  Sabbath  must  have  been  instituted  already 
at  creation. 

The  teacher,  therefore,  should  never  attempt  to  rationalize,  nor 
to  convey  the  impression  that  these  details  must  be  accepted  as 
historical.  On  the  other  hand  still  less  should  she  endeavor  to  make 
the  children  realize  from  the  beginning  that  this  is  only  a  story 
or  a  myth,  and  not  history,  by  proceeding  to  expound  the  teachings 
of  science  about  creation.  This  last  has  no  place  at  all  in  the  lower 
classes  'of  the  religious  school.  She  should  seek  only  to  bring  out 
the  essential  Jewish  truths  and  principles  which  the  story  records, 
but  to  bring  them  out  so  clearly  and  convincingly  that  the  children 
can  not  but  feel  and  believe.  In  this  way  she  will  be  giving  to  the 
children  not  only  our  old,  traditional  story  of  creation,  but  even 
more,  she  will  be  laying  the  foundation  in  the  children's  minds  for 
a  positive,  systematic  knowledge  of  God  and  of  the  universe,  and 


42  The  Book  of  Genesis 

of  the  goodness,  beauty,  wisdom,  and  divine  purpose  and  holiness  of 
the  universe  and  of  life. 

The  name  of  this  book,  Genesis,  comes  from  the  Greek.  It 
means  "beginning"  or  "creation".  The  first  translation  of  the  He- 
brew Bible  was  made  into  Greek  during  the  third  and  second  cen- 
turies B.  C.  It  was  made  for  the  benefit  of  the  Greek-speaking 
Jewish  community  of  Alexandria,  and  was  called  the  Septuagint. 
Most  of  the  subsequent  translations  of  the  Bible  into  European 
languages  were  made  from  this  Greek,  rather  than  from  the  original 
Hebrew  version.  In  consequence  many  of  the  books  of  the  Bible 
are  commonly  cited  by  their  Greek  names.  In  Hebrew  Genesis  is 
called  Bereshith,  from  the  first  word  of  the  Hebrew  text,  which 
means  "in  the  beginning".  Similarly  the  other  books  of  the  Penta- 
teuch are  called  in  Hebrew  bv  their  first  significant  words. 

V.  3.  Creation  is  here  and  throughout  this  chapter  represented 
as  having  come  about  merely  at  God's  command.  God  uttered  His 
divine  word  and  the  thing  commanded  immediately  came  into  being. 
This  is  the  significance  of  the  words,  "And  it  was  so",  occurring 
after  each  separate  act  of  creation;  cf.  Psalm  XXXIII,  6-9. 

V.  5.  The  giving  of  the  names  here  and  elsewhere  is  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  ancient  belief  -that  the  name  of  a  thing  is  an 
essential  part  of  its  being.  Not  until  a  thing  had  received  its  name 
was  it  considered  really  complete  and  existent.  Hence  the  giving 
of  the  name  here  is  the  very  last  step  of  each  act  of  creation  (cf. 
Gen.  II,  19  and  23). 

That  evening  is  here  mentioned  before  morning  is  due  to  the 
fact  that  our  ancestors  reckoned  the  day  from  sunset  to  sunset,  and 
.therefore  in  their  reckoning  evening  preceded  morning. 

V.  6ff.  The  conception  of  the  universe  which  underlies  this 
chapter  is  very  interesting.  Naturally  it  is  not  at  all  scientific,  and 
from  a  modern  standpoint  it  may  seem  rather  crude.  It  can  be  best 
explained  by  an  illustration.  Imagine  a  large  bowl  filled  with  water, 
upon  the  surface  of  which,  and  in  the  center,  floats  a  round  piece 
of  bread.  At  a  little  distance  above  the  lower  bowl  is  another  bowl, 
also  filled  with  water.  In  the  bottom  of  the  upper  bowl  are  little 
openings,  which  may  be  either  opened  or  closed.  The  two  bowls  of 
water  above  and  below,  represent  two  great  oceans  or  reservoirs  of 
water.  The  piece  of  bread  is  the  earth,  which  floats  upon  the  sur- 
face of  the  lower  ocean.  The  pores  in  the  bread  represent  the  holes 
in  the  earth,  through  which  tire  water  from  below  bubbles  up  to  the 
surface  in  the  form  of  springs  and  wells  (cf.  the  expression,  "The 
water  under  the  earth",  Exodus  XX,  4).  The  ocean  above  is  the 


The  Story  of  Creation  43 

source  of  the  rain,  which  falls  to  the  earth  beneath  through  the  little 
openings  or  windows  in  the  bottom  of  the  bowl  (cf.  Gen.  VII,  11 
and  VIII,  2).  THe  bottom  of  the  upper  bowl  is  the  heaven  or 
firmament,  which  God  spread  out  in-  the  midst  of  the  waters,  to 
divide  the  waters  above  the  earth  from  those  below.  In  this  heaven 
the  sun,  moon  and  stars  are  fixed.  This  is  the  conception  of  the 
universe  which  lies  at  the  bottom,  not  only  of  this  chapter,  but  of 
many  other  parts  of  the  Bible.  The  rabbis  later  expanded  this  con- 
ception considerably  and  spoke  of  seven  heavens,  one  above  the 
other,  and  also  seven  earths  one  below  the  other. 

V.  9.  "The  waters  under  the  heaven,"  i.  e.  the  lower  of  the  two 
bodies  of  water  now  existing. 

V.  11.  Here  God  does  not  directly  create  the  grass,  but  merely 
speaks  the  word  which  endows  the  earth  with  power  to  cause  the 
grass  and  plants  to  spring  forth.  In  other  words  God's  word  endows 
the  earth  with  the  power  of  plant  propagation. 

V.  14.  The  question  is  often  asked,  and  is  generally  found 
troublesome,  "If  the  sun,  moon  and  stars  were  created  only  on  the 
fourth  day,  how  could  light  have  existed  on  the.  very  'first  day  of 
creation,  and  also  how  could  plant  life,  for  which  sunlight  is  indis- 
pensable, have  begun  on  the  third  day?"  The  ancient  rabbis  tried 
to  answer  the  first  question  with  the  tradition  that  the  light  of  the 
first  day  was  different  from,  and  superior  to,  the  light  of  the  sun. 
This  original  light  at  first  filled  the  whole  universe.  But  when 
Adam  sinned,  this  light  was  taken  away,  to  be  restored  to  man, 
however,  when  the  Messiah  shall  come  at  the  end  of  time.  Mean- 
while mankind  must  content  itself  with  the  light  of  the  sun,  moon 
and  stars,  created  on  the  fourth  day.  Other  traditions  told  that  God 
himself  was  clothed  with  light,  and  that  this  light  emanated  from 
Him  and  filled  the  universe  before  the  creation  of  the  sun  (cf. 
Psalm  CIV,  1-2).  However,  it  is  clear  that  these  are  only  unsuc- 
cessful, though  pious  and  reverential,  attempts  to  account  for  what 
is  obviously  an  anachronism  on  the  part  of  the  author.  Inasmuch 
as  he  measures  creation  from  the  very  beginning  by  days  and  even- 
ings and  mornings,  it  is  clear  that  he  had  in  mind  the  orderly  suc- 
cession of  day  and  night,  of  light  and  darkness  caused  by  the  pres- 
ence or  absence  of  the  light  of  the  sun.  Similarly,  the  simple  and 
natural  answer  to  the  second  question,  how  could  plant  life  have 
begun  on  the  third  day,  if  the  sun  was  not  created  until  the  fourth 
day,  is  that  the  author  of  this  story  apparently  had  no  knowledge  of 
the  connection  between  the  light  and  heat  of  the  sun  and  plant  life 
and  growth.  However,  since,  as  we  have  seen,  the  framework  of  the 


44  The  Book  of  Genesis 

story  is  of  far  less  import  than  the  Jewish  thought  which  the  story 
illustrates  so  well,  anachronisms  like  these  can  be  readily  overlooked. 

V.  22.  God's  blessing  upon  the  animals  is  not  to  be  regarded  as 
a  mere,  pious  wish  that  they  be  fruitful  and  multiply,  but,  just  as 
in  v.  28,  it  bestows  upon  them  the  power  of  self-propagation.  In 
fact,  throughout  the  Bible,  God's  blessing  is  never  a  mere  wish,  but 
always  contains  the  means  of  self-fulfilment  if  only  properly  applied. 

V.  26.  The  words,  "Let  us  make  man  in  our  image",  are  prob- 
ably a  survival  of  the  older  version  of  this  myth,  which  spoke,  not 
of  one  God,  but  of  many  gods  (cf.  Ill,  22).  The  present  mono- 
theistic form  of  the  story  is  the  result  of  the  adaptation  of  the 
original  Babylonian  myth  to  the  standpoint  of  the  Jewish  religion. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  remarked  that  frequently  Jewish 
Biblical  students  are  startled,  and  even  shocked,  when  the  thought  is 
first  presented  to  them  that  this  creation-story,  and  also  the  flood- 
story  and  a  number  of  other  Biblical  traditions  and  thoughts  were 
borrowed  from  Babylonian  mythology  and  literature.  A  moment's 
consideration,  however,  suffices  to  show  that  there  is  nothing  un- 
natural or  shocking  in  this  fact,  and  that  the  admission  of  its  cor- 
rectness detracts  not  one  whit  from  the  credit  and  glory  of  Judaism. 
Nations,  like  individuals,  must  live  alongside  of  each  other  and  ex- 
change cultural  products  of  intellect  and  spirit,  even  as  they  ex- 
change material  products  of  field  and  factory.  It  would  be  a  sorry 
people,  just  as  it  would  be  a  sorry  individual,  which  had  to  discover 
and  learn  everything  for  itself  through  its  own,  ofttimes  bitter, 
experience,  and  could  not  learn  from  contact  with  other  peoples  and 
acquaintance  with  their  history  and  thought.  Israel  is  no  exception 
to  this  rule.  Throughout  its  history  it  has  always  been  able  to  ex- 
change the  best  of  its  knowledge  and  culture  for  the  best  of  the 
knowledge  and  culture  of  its  neighbors,  the  Babylonians  among 
others.  But  Israel  has  never  been  a  parasite  upon  the  world;. it  has 
always  given  in  exchange  value  received,  and  on  the  whole  the 
balance  of  credit  is  in  its  favor. 

Nor  is  this  all.  Not  even  Shakespeare  created  the  plots  of  all 
his  immortal  plays.  The  great  majority  he  borrowed  from  one 
source  or  another.  But  in  their  original  sources  these  plots  would 
have  had  little  or  no  permanent  interest  for  the  world,  and  would 
in  time  have  been  lost  or  forgotten.  It  was  Shakespeare's  genius 
that  made  these  plots  live  and  become  the  literary  treasures  of  the 
world.  Somewhat  similarly,  though  to  a  degree  far  more  exalted, 
as  the  genius  of  a  God-inspired  people  surpasses  infinitely  the  genius 
of  an  individual,  even  a  Shakespeare,  Israel  borrowed  this  creation- 


The  Story  of  Creation  45 

story  and  the  flood-story.  In  their  original  form  these  stories 
would,  at  the  most,  have  had  only  a  passing  interest  for  the  student 
of  archaeology  or  history.  It  was  Israel's  religious  genius  which 
breathed  into  them  a  spiritual  truth  and  universal  message  which 
made  them  live,  and  live  not  for  Israel  alone,  but  for  all  men  and  all 
ages.  Israel  borrowed,  yes,  but  it  borrowed  something  that  was 
almost  worthless ;  it  touched  this  with  the  magic  wand  of  its  spirit, 
and  thereby  transformed  it  into  something  of  eternal,  priceless  value. 
In  voicing  this  spirit  of  Judaism,  the  old  myths  have  become,  new 
and  living  stories,  in  which  the  spiritual  element  contributed  by 
Judaism  is  greater  and  of  vaster  significance  than  the  framework 
and  the  few  details  borrowed  from  the  Babylonian.  The  old 
Babylonian  myth  was  lost  and  forgotten  two  thousand  years  ago. 
It  is  the  Jewish  story  which  has  lived,  because  of  the  Jewish  spirit 
and  the  Jewish  truth  contained  in  it,  and  has  become  a  part  of  the 
great  spiritual  heritage  of  the  Jew,  and  a  part  of  his  priceless  gift 
to  mankind. 

It  may  not  be  amiss  to  add  the  caution  that  all  this  information 
as  to  the  Babylonian  and  mythological  origin  of  this  creation-story, 
and  of  the  flood-story  as  well,  is  intended  solely  for  the  teacher  and 
the  adult  student.  Nothing  thereof  can  be  given  to  the  children 
in  the  religious  school,  for  it  would  only  confuse  them,  while  at  the 
same  time  serving  no  positive  purpose. 

V.  27.  According  to  this  story  God  created  man  and  woman  at 
the  same  time,  and  as  the  final  act  of  creation,  just  as  He  had  pre- 
viously created  the  male  and  female  of  every  other  species  of  animals. 

V.  29.  This  verse  implies  that  originally  God  had  intended  that 
man  and  the  animals  eat  only  herbs.  Later,  after  the  flood,  per- 
mission was  given  to  eat  flesh  (Gen.  IX,  2ff.)-  It  was  the  ancient 
belief  that  in  the  Messianic  age  the  original  condition  will  be  re- 
established, when  once  more  the  cow  and  the  bear  shall  feed  to- 
gether and  the  lion  eat  straw  like  the  ox  (Isaiah  XI,  7). 

V.  31.  This  verse  sums  up  the  whole  account  of  creation.  It 
may  well  be  considered  the  key-sentence  of  the  story.  For  this 
reason  we  have  placed  it  at  the  beginning  of  the  lesson,  and  have 
suggested  that  it  be  committed  to  memory  by  the  children.  There- 
after the  mere  thought  of  this  verse  should  suggest  the  full  Jewish 
content  of  the  story.  In  almost  all  the  stories  of  Genesis  similar 
key-sentences  may  be  found.  Usually  they  are  easily  discerned.  Oc- 
casionally, however,  careful  study  and  analysis  of  the  story  are  re- 
quired to  fix  the  key-sentence.  Now  and  then  the  determination  is 
largely  a  matter  of  individual  judgment,  and  may  vary  with  differing 


46  The  Book  of  Genesis 

conceptions  of  the  central  Jewish  theme  of  the  story.  In  preparing 
the  lesson  for  presentation  in  class,  the  teacher  should  always  en- 
deavor to  determine  for  herself  the  central  theme  and  the  key- 
sentence  of  the  story,  and  then  develop  this  central  theme  about  the 
key-sentence.  This  the  children  should  always  be  made  to  memorize. 


The  Garden  of  Eden  47 

II 
THE  GARDEN  OF  EDEN 

(Genesis  II,  4— III,  24) 

Then  the  Lord  God  formed  man  of  the  dust  of  the  ground,  and 
breathed  into  his  nostrils  the  breath  of  life.  (Genesis  II,  7.) 

I  call  heaven  and  earth  to  witness  against  you  this  day,  that  I 
have  set  before  thee  life  and  death,  the  blessing  and  the  curse;  there- 
fore choose  life,  that  thou  mayest  live.  (Deuteronomy  XXX,  19.) 

Read  Psalm  XXIV,  1-6. 

The  story  of  the  Garden  of  Eden  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful,  not  only  in  the  Bible,  but  in  all  literature,  and  has 
deservedly  come  to  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  world's  im- 
mortal classics.  Its  story  is  told  simply  and  directly.  The 
several  incidents  are  clearly  and  concisely  pictured.  The 
climax  is  dramatic,  when  the  guilty  pair,  conscious  of  their 
sin,  must  come  forth  from  their  hiding-place  at  God's  call, 
and  by  excusing  themselves  with  a  half  lie,  incriminate  them- 
selves irrefutably. 

Despite  its  simplicity  and  brevity,  the  portrayal  of  char- 
acter is  delicate  and  effective.  The  serpent,  cunning  and 
evil-minded,  purposely  overstates  God's  command  and  asks, 
"Hath  God  said:  Ye  shall  not  eat  of  any  tree  in  the  gar- 
den?" And  the  woman,  guileless  and  unsuspecting,  falls 
into  the  trap,  and  even  enlarges  upon  God's  actual  words, 
"Of  the  fruit  of  the  trees  of  the  garden  we  may  eat;  but 
of  the  fruit  of  the  tree  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  garden, 
God  hath  said:  Ye  shall  not  eat  of  it,  neither  shall  ye 
touch  it,  lest  ye  die".  And  when  she  has,  so  naturally  and 
humanly,  let  herself  be  enticed  by  the  alluring  beauty  of  the 


48  The  Book  of  Genesis 

tree  and  the  seeming  benefits  which  it  might  confer,  and  has 
eaten,  her  first  thought  is  of  her  husband;  "and  she  gave 
also  unto  her  husband  with  her,  and  he  did  eat".  And 
finally,  when  directly  charged  by  God^  with  their  sin,  each 
seeks  -to  shift  the  responsibility ;  the  man  puts  the  blame 
partly  upon  the  woman  and  partly  upon  God  Himself,  for 
having  made  her,  and  the  woman  in  turn  shifts  the  blame 
to  the  serpent.  Touches  so  delicate  reveal  the  master's  hand. 

The  story  shows  remarkable  power  of  condensation  and 
suggestion.  The  one  sentence,  "Ami  they  were  both  naked, 
the  man  and  his  wife,  and  were  not  ashamed",  pictures  their 
state  of  pristine  innocence  far  more  effectively  than  any 
detailed  explanation.  Similarly,  after  both  have  eaten  of  the 
forbidden  fruit,  and  both  they  and  the  reader  of  the  story 
are  anxiously  awaiting  the  results,  the  few  words,  "And 
the  eyes  of  them  both  were  opened,  and  they  knew"  .  .  . 
what  did  they  know;  what 'was  this  strange  and  wonderful 
knowledge  which  came  from  eating  the  forbidden  fruit  ? 
.  .  .  "they  knew  that  they  were  naked",  are  powerfully 
suggestive.  Not  a  single  one  of  the  blessings  which  they 
had  so  eagerly  anticipated,  had  come  to  them,  but  only  the 
recognition  of  their  nakedness.  With  this  comes  first  the 
sense  of  shame,  and  they  hasten  to  hide  from  their  Maker 
in  the  gloom  of  the  trees.  And  there  come  also  the  full 
consciousness  of  sin,  and  the  realization  that  the  serpent 
had  in  fact  deceived  them.  They  had  expected  so  much ; 
and  although  the  serpent's  words  were  literally  true,  and 
they  had  not  died,  yet  after  all  they  had  gained  so  little,  and 
at  so  great  a  price. 

However,  although  the  author  of  this  story  was  a  su- 
preme artist,  the  story  is  by  no  means  entirely  the  product 
of  his  own  fertile  imagination.  He  has  taken  a  number  of 
ancient  folk-tales,  the  product  of  the  childhood  period  of 
Israel's  cultural  evolution,  and  with  delicate  art  has  woven 
them  together  around  a  single,  central  theme.  This  told  of 


The  Garden  of  Eden  49 

the  first  man  and  woman,  placed  by  God,  and  living  care- 
free and  at  ease  in  a  beautiful,  well-watered  garden  of 
trees.  Of  all  the  trees  they  might  eat,  except  the  one  just 
in  the  center  of  the  garden.  But  one  day  they  disobeyed 
and  ate  of  the  forbidden  tree.  Immediately  they  were  driven 
from  the  garden,  and  were  forced  thereafter  to  gain  their 
livelihood  by  tilling  the  hard  and  often  unresponsive  soil. 
The  origin  of  this  story  is  easily  determined.  The  back- 
ground of  the  unwatered,  barren  earth  and  its  oasis-like 
garden  of  trees  growing  about  the  single,  life-giving  spring 
of  water,  is  unmistakable.  Even  more  indicative  is  the  theme 
that  the  supreme  good  is  to  live  in  a  beautiful,  well-watered 
garden  of  trees  and  eat  without  toil  of  their  fruit,  and  that 
the  supreme  evil  is  to  be  compelled  to  till  the  soil  and,  in 
sweat  of  brow,  eat  of  its  produce.  To  a  people  even  only 
slightly  advanced  in  civilization,  tilling  the  soil  for  a  liveli- 
hood does  not  seem  an  evil  or  a  curse,  but  the  normal  state 
of  existence  and  the  divinely  appointed  destiny  of  man.  But 
the  nomad  of  the  Arabian  Desert  looks  out  upon  life  through 
different  eyes.  His  food  supply  is  monotonous  and  scanty 
indeed,  but  this  is  more  than  compensated  for  by  the  perfect 
freedom  of  the  desert  which  he  enjoys.  He  works  only 
when  he  pleases  and  as  little  as  he  pleases,  and  only  at 
the,  to  him,  noble  occupation  of  caring  for  his  sheep  and 
camels.  He  is  here  today  and  gone  where  he  will  tomorrow. 
He  is  his  own  lord  and  master,  and  the  absolute  equal  of 
every  man.  And  he  looks  down  with  undisguised  contempt 
upon  the  farmer,  for  all  time  bound  to  one  spot,  compelled 
to  bend  his  back  in  servile  toil,  only  too  often  to  reap  but 
thorns  and  thistles,  and  doomed  to  cringe  and  tremble  be- 
.fore  a  despotic  government,  and  humbly  and  unresistingly 
give  of  his  hard-won  gain  for  taxes  at  the  unwarranted 
bidding  of  others.  Clearly  this  story  must  have  originated 
in  those  remote,  prehistoric  days,  long  before  the  time  of 
Moses,  when  our  ancestors  still  roamed  the  great  Arabian 


50  The  Book  of  Genesis 

Desert  as  nomads,  and  found  their  easiest  living  in  the 
occasional  oases  with  their  springs  of  water  and  their 
bounteous  trees,  and  from  their  heights  of  unrestrained  free- 
dom to  live  and  wander  at  will,  looked  down  upon  the  poor 
tiller  of  the  soil  as  an  accursed  being.  Or,  if  it  did  not 
originate  then,  it  must  have  been  very  soon  thereafter,  before 
our  ancestors  had  passed  over  completely  and  willingly  to 
the  settled,  agricultural  life,  and  before  their  conception  of 
existence  had  been  transformed  from  the  nomadic  to  the 
agricultural. 

N/  Into  this  central  story  the  author  has  ingeniously  and 
artistically  worked  a  number  of  other  folk-tales,  many  no 
doubt  of  equal  antiquity.  They  are  all  typical  folk-tales, 
such  as  our  ancestors  must  have  once  possessed  in  great 
number.  In  nature  they  differ  very  little  from  the  folk- 
tales of  other  primitive  peoples.  But  in  subject  matter  they 
do  show  immeasurable  superiority.  For  most  folk-tales  turn 
about  such  incidental  and  superficial  questions  as  "Why  the 
sea  is  salt",  or  "How  the  rabbit  got  his  long  ears",  or  "Why 
there  is  a  man  in  the  moon".  Certainly  our  ancestors,  too, 
had  many  simple  tales  like  these,  as  the  stories  here  of 
"How  the  animals  got  their  names",  and  "Why  the  serpent 
crawls  upon  his  belly",  show.  But  in  addition,  they  treated 
of  problems  which  other  primitive  peoples  seldom,  if  ever, 
divined,  such  basic  problems  of  life  as  "Why  a  man  leaves 
his  parents  for  his  wife",  "Why  childbirth  is  so  painful", 
"Why  woman  is  inferior  to,  and  dependent  upon,  man", 
"Why  man  must  labor  so  ceaselessly  and  bitterly",  and  the 
like. 

These  are  problems  which  touch  upon  the  elemental  and 
eternal  mysteries  of  existence,  and  with  the  solution  of  which 
the  world  is  still,  in  a  certain  sense,  wrestling.  That  our 
ancestors  should  have  conceived  of  these  deep,  basic,  phil- 
osophic problems  almost  at  the  very  beginning  of  their  in- 
tellectual and  cultural  evolution,  may  well  indicate  that,  in 


The  Garden  of  Eden  51 

contrast  to  the  minds  of  other  peoples,  the  Jewish  mind  is 
by-  nature  meditative,  philosophic,  introspective,  with  a  cer- 
tain intuitive  apperception  of  the  fundamental  truths  and 
problems  of  life. 

And  comparison  of  these  ancient  Israelite  folk-tales  with 
those  of  other  primitive  peoples  reveals  something  of  far 
deeper  import.  Not  only  do  the  folk-tales  of  other  peoples 
for  the  most  part  ask  such  superficial  questions  as  "Why 
the  sea  is  salt",  but  they  answer  them  in  purely  mechanical 
manner,  in  the  form  of  a  story  in  which  the  actors  are  mere 
human  beings  and  animals,  or,  at  the  most,  fairies  and 
genii.  Thus  the  well-known  Scandinavian  folk -tale  tells  that 
the  wicked  brother  stole  the  good  brother's  magic  mill  and 
bade  it  grind  salt.  But  when  the  ship  was  full,  he  had  for- 
gotten the  magic  word,  which  alone  could  stop  the  mill,  and 
so  the  ship  sank.  And  the  mill  lies  on  the  bottom  of  the  sea, 
still  grinding  salt ;  and  that  is  why  the  sea  is  salt.  In  sig- 
nificant contrast,  these  Biblical  folk-tales  answer  all  their 
questions  from  the  standpoint  of  God,  the  Creator.  Mani- 
festly from  the  very  beginning,  God,  or  probably  in  the  very 
earliest  form  of  the  stories,  a  divine  being,  was  the  chief 
actor,  and  all  things  came  to  be  as  they  are  in  accordance 
with  His  will.  Man  leaves  his  parents  for  his  wife  because 
God  fashioned  her  out  of  the  bone  and  flesh  of  her  husband, 
and  thus  they  are  truly  one.  The  serpent  crawls  upon  his 
belly  because  God  so  punished  him.  And  mankind  is  divided 
into  different  nations,  speaking  different  languages  because 
God  so  ordained. 

The  Bible  affirms,  and  we  believe,  that  Israel  was  chosen 
by  God  to  receive  His  law,  and  to  proclaim  it  and  the  knowl- 
edge of  Him  and  His  true  worship  to  the  world.  However, 
it  is  frequently  objected  that  this  can  not  be  true,  for  a  just 
God  could  not  choose  one  people  in  preference  to  another. 
But  a  wise  and  loving  father  carefully  studies  his  sons  to 
learn  their  different  natures  and  aptitudes.  And  of  one  he 


52  The  Book  of  Genesis 

makes  a  physician,  of  another  a  merchant,  and  of  still  an- 
other a  farmer.  To  have  condemned  them  all  to  be  farmers, 
or  merchants,  or  physicians,  would  have  been  unjust  and 
cruel.  So  God  calls  each  of  His  children  to  the  task  for 
which  it  is  best  fitted.  The  Greeks  He  bade  bring  to  the 
world  the  sense  of  order,  symmetry  and  beauty,  and  these 
became,  in  one  line  of  evolution,  art,  and  in  another  line, 
orderly,  proportionate  thinking,  logic,  and  philosophy.  The 
Romans  He  bade  bring  to  the  world  organization,  law,  gov- 
ernment, administration.  And  unto  Israel  He  revealed  Him- 
self, and  bade  Israel  bring  this  knowledge  of  Him  to  the 
world,  because,  of  all  peoples,  Israel  was  best  fitted  to  re- 
ceive this  knowledge  and  to  discharge  this  mission.  Israel 
was  best  fitted  because  its  mind  and  soul  were  attuned  to 
God  and,  of  all  peoples,  it  could  best  absorb  the  knowledge 
of  God,  which  He  sought  to  reveal  to  all  His  children ; 
because,  as  these  folk-tales  show,  from  the  very  dawn  of 
its  history  Israel  thought  about  God  and  pondered  over  the 
mysteries  of  life  from  the  standpoint  of  God.  Much  think- 
ing must  in  time  beget  much  knowledge.  So  Israel  came  to 
know  about  God  sooner  than  any  other  people.  Therefore 
the  task  of  proclaiming  this  knowledge  devolved  upon  Israel, 
and  Israel  was  chosen  by  God  for  its  glorious  mission.  And 
since,  as  we  believe,  and  as  the  world  has  come  to  believe 
with  us,  the  knowledge  of  God  and  His  worship  and  the 
life  He  has  intended  that  men  shall  live,  is  the  supreme 
knowledge,  therefore  Israel  is,  above  all  others,  God's  chosen 
people,  chosen  not  for  special  favors  at  God's  hands,  but 
because,  of  all  peoples,  it  was  best  fitted  for  this  sublimest 
mission  of  all.  This  vital  and  inspiring  truth  of  Israel's 
innate  and  eternal  religious  genius,  and  of  God's  choice  of 
Israel  therefore  as  His  messenger  and  the  witness  of  His 
truth  unto  mankind,  the  full  appreciation  of  these  ancient 
folk-tales  of  our  fathers  brings  home  most  convincingly  and 
appealingly. 


The  Garden  of  Eden  53 

In  time,  as  is  but  natural,  a  number  of  these  ancient  folk- 
tales gradually  grew  together,  and  at  last  a  connected  and 
virtually  new  story  evolved,  our  present  story  of  the  Garden 
of  Eden.  Through  this  new  story  there  runs  one  thought, 
but  dimly  apparent  in  the  old  folk-tales,  a  thought  which 
has  become  a  basic  principle  of  Judaism,  and  which  distin- 
guishes Judaism  from  other  religions  more  sharply  almost 
than  any  other  doctrine.  It  is  the  thought  that  God  has 
placed  man  here  on  this  beautiful  earth  to  live  a  life  of 
purity  and  usefulness,  to  eat  the  good  fruit  which  is  per- 
mitted, but  to  refrain  from  the  forbidden  fruit,  no  matter 
how  beautiful  and  alluring.  God  has  created  man  for  a 
purpose  of  good,  and  bidden  him  strive  to  fulfil  this  pur- 
pose. He  has  given  man  intellect  and  conscience  that  he 
may  perceive  the  good  and  be  warned  of  the  evil.  And 
He  holds  out  to  man  the  promise  of  reward  for  right  living 
and  of  punishment  for  wrong.  But  with  all  this  God  has 
endowed  man  with  free-will,  with  power  to  choose  between 
good  and  evil,  between  obedience  and  disobedience. 

As  the  story  says,  "Then  the  Lord  God  formed  man  of 
the  dust  of  the  ground,  and  breathed  into  his  nostrils  the 
breath  of  life".  In  expounding  this  chapter  the  rabbis  of 
old  laid  great  stress  upon  this  thought  that  God  had  formed 
man  of  dust,  yet  had  Himself  breathed  into  him  the  breath 
of  life,  a  part  of  His  spirit.  Thus,  they  taught,  unlike  the 
animals,  man  is  the  child  of  two  worlds,  the  earthly,  lower 
world  of  dust,  and  the  heavenly  world  of  God's  spirit.  In 
some  qualities  he  resembles  the  animals  of  earth,  and  in 
others  the  angels  of  heaven.  Had  God  made  man  only  like 
the  angels,  he  would  have  lived  forever;  had  he  been  en- 
tirely like  the  creatures  of  earth,  he  would  have  died  speedily. 
So  God  gave  him  a  double  nature;  if  he  is  righteous,  he 
attains  eternal  life,  but  if  he  sins,  he  perishes.  If  he  lets 
his  earthly  nature  prevail,  he  sinks  inevitably  to  the  level 
of  the  beast.  But  if  he  follows  the  inclination  of  God's 


54  The  Book  of  Genesis 

spirit  within  him,  he  rises  higher  and  ever  higher,  until  he 
becomes,  in  the  Psalmist's  words,  "but  little  lower  than  the 
angels,  and  crowned  with  glory  and  honor".  And  the  goal 
of  all  human  living  and  striving  is  to  become  even  like  unto 
God  Himself.  "Ye  shall  be  holy;  for  I  the  Lord  your  God 
am  holy"  (Leviticus  XIX,  2),  is  the  divinely  appointed 
standard  of  human  righteousness. 

But  holiness  and  righteousness  are  not  mere  passive  con- 
ditions of  existence.  They  must  be  striven  for,  and  can  be 
attained  only  by  constant  struggle,  which  at  last  conquers 
the  earthly,  animal  cravings  of  the  body  of  dust,  and  leaves 
the  divine,  spiritual  element  triumphant.  And  only  in  the 
struggle  and  the  victory  lie  the  merit  of  goodness  and  the 
justification  of  divine  reward  for  right  living.  Had  man  no 
choice  but  to  be  good  or  to  be  evil,  in  accordance  with  divine 
predestination,  there  could  be  no  reason  for,  nor  justice  in, 
reward  or  punishment.  Therefore,  in  His  wisdom  God  has 
so  fashioned  man,  that  it  rests  with  him  alone  to  choose  the 
right  or  the  wrong,  the  blessing  or  the  curse,  life  or  death. 
The  words  of  Moses  unto  all  Israel  just  before  his  death, 
''I  call  Heaven  and  earth  to  witness  against  you  this  day, 
that  I  have  set  before  thee  life  and  death,  the  blessing  and 
the  curse;  therefore  choose  life,  that  thou  mayest  live", 
express  most  clearly  this  principle  of  Judaism.  It  is  given 
to  man  to  make  his  own  life,  good  or  evil,  to  determine 
whether  he  will  walk  in  purity  with ,  God,  or  must  hide  in 
guilt  and  shame,  in  darkness  and  shadow.  We  become  just 
what  we  make  ourselves,  angels  or  beasts  as  we  choose. 

All  this  is  clearly  implied  in  the  story  of  the  Garden  of 
Eden.  It  tells  that  man's  life  on  earth  began  with  a  com- 
mand from  God.  A  command  implies  the  necessity  of  choos- 
ing between  obedience  and  disobedience.  It  matters  not  that 
the  reason  for  the  command  is  not  given,  that  God  did  not 
explain  to  the  man  His  purpose  in  forbidding  the  fruit  of 
the  tree.  Very  often  we  can  not  understand  the  purpose  of 


The  Garden  of  Eden  55 

God's  ways,  nor  read  aright  all  the  mysteries  of  His  wisdom, 
goodness  and  love.  Neither  can  the  little  child  always  com- 
prehend the  wise  and  loving  motives  which  prompt  a  parent's 
command.  But  even  as  the  little  child  obeys  its  parents' 
commands  unquestioningly,  because  of  its  implicit  faith  in 
them  and  in  their  wisdom  and  love,  which  it  has  experienced 
in  so  many  ways,  so  must  we  obey  God's  commands  un- 
questioningly, with  perfect  faith  in  them  and  in  His  wisdom, 
goodness  and  love,  which  we,  too,  know  so  well  from  bound- 
less experience.  Actually  the  serpent  had  told  the  truth, 
when  it  said,  "Ye  shall  not  surely  die",  and  God's  word  had 
not  been  fulfilled.  Yet  the  truth  of  the  serpent's  word  was 
only  literal  and  superficial,  and  it  brought  only  misfortune 
and  sorrow.  And  although  on  the  surface  God's  word  had 
seemed  false,  at  the  bottom  there  lay  the  great,  eternal,  un- 
questionable truth,  that  God's  commands,  however  strange 
and  unreasonable  they  may  seem  to  shortsighted  man,  are 
always  meant  for  good  and  not  for  evil.  And  he  alone, 
who  walks  in  God's  ways  and  keeps  His  commandments  at 
all  times,  is  assured  of  perfect  happiness  and  blessing.  The 
consequence  of  disobedience  and  sin  is  expulsion  from  the 
garden  of  God  into  the  bleak  and  cheerless  world  without, 
where  life  loses  all  beauty  and  joy,  and  becomes  burdensome 
and  ugly.  To  us  God's  commands  come  constantly,  though 
ofttimes  we  can  not  understand  the  reason  why.  At  times 
it  may  even  seem  that  God's  bidding  is  wrong,  or  unjust, 
or  cruel.  But  always  there  is  that  deep,  eternal  foundation 
of  truth  and  justice  beneath,  and  we  must  obey  promptly 
and  unquestioningly  and  with  complete  trust,  knowing  full 
well  that  God's  purpose  is  sure,  and  that  His  goodness  and 
love  fill  all  the  universe,  knowing  also  that  only  thereby  can 
we  continue  to  live  and  walk  with  God  in  the  beauty  of 
purity  and  innocence. 

And  the  story  tells  even  more.     So  long  as  the  man  and 
the   woman   obeyed   God's   command,    even   though   they   did 


56  The  Book  of  Genesis 

not  understand  it,  they  were  privileged  to  live  with  God  in 
His  garden  of  delight,  and  they  were  happy.  With  sin  came 
shame  and  the  impulse  to  hide,  and  sorrow  and  punishment. 
They  were  driven  from  the  beautiful  garden  forever,  and 
forced  to  till  the  soil  and  gain  their  livelihood  by  bitter  toil. 
Yet  even  in  this  God's  love  and  mercy  were  manifest.  For 
only  by  work,  true,  useful  work,  which  makes  the  world 
better  and  happier,  can  we  gain  true  happiness  and  feel  that 
we  are  fulfilling  the  purpose  for  which  God  has  placed  us 
here  on  earth.  But  always  the  consequences  of  disobedience 
and  sin  are  shame,  unhappiness,  and  punishment.  No  longer 
can  we  look  our  loved  ones  in  the  face.  We  hang  our  heads 
and  seek  to  hide  from  their  accusing  glance.  Friends  and 
companions  and  the  world  at  large  put  faith  in  us  no  more, 
for  they  can  not  tell  what  we  may  do  and  wherein  we  may 
disobey  next.  And  so  we  are  driven  from  the  beautiful 
garden  of  happiness  and  association  with  trusting  loved  ones 
and  friends,  and  we  hide  ourselves,  solitary  and  alone,  from 
all  the  world. 

But  even  this  is  not  the  end  of  disobedience  and  its  pun- 
ishment, our  story  tells.  From  men  we  may  perhaps  hide, 
but  from  God's  all-seeing  vision,  never.  Soon  He  will  call 
unto  us,  too,  "Man,  where  art  thou?",  and  we,  too,  will  come, 
trembling  and  ashamed,  from  our  dark  hiding-place,  and 
stand  before  our  Maker  for  judgment.  This,  our  religion 
teaches,  we  can  not  escape,  for  in  the  end  we  must  all  be 
judged.  And  the  judgment,  Judaism  holds,  is  sure  and 
absolutely  just,  whether  for  punishment,  as  in  the  story,  or 
for  reward.  Yet  God's  love  rules  supreme,  and  He  has 
held  out  to  man  the  beautiful,  inspiring  hope  of  repentance 
and  eventual  pardon.  The  rabbis  told  that  when  God  made 
man,  He  took  dust  from  each  of  the  four  corners  of  the 
earth,  in  order  that  no  one  spot  might  boast,  "Man  was  made 
from  me  alone",  but  that  man  might  be,  as  it  were,  the  child 
of  the  entire  earth,  and  possess  the  qualities  of  the  whole 


The  Garden  of  Eden  57 

universe.  But  as  a  last  thought,  He  took  one  handful  of 
dust  from  the  spot  where  the  altar  of  Solomon's  temple  was 
later  to  stand,  in  order  that  man  might  ever  be  inclined  to 
seek  after  God,  and  repent  and  make  atonement  for  his 
sins.  But  the  Jewish  doctrine  of  repentance  and  atonement 
demands  more  explanation  than  this,  and  must  be  deferred 
for  later  consideration. 

For  the  present  it  suffices  to  realize  that  this  beautiful 
story  of  the  Garden  of  Eden  presents  concretely  and  con- 
vincingly the  Jewish  conceptions  of  man  and  of  life,  man 
possessed  of  the  knowledge  of  right  and  wrong,  and  able  to 
choose  between  them,  able,  through  choosing  rightly,  through 
choosing  life  and  living  in  accordance  with  God's  commands, 
to  realize  the  divine  in  his  nature  and  to  rise  to  the  heights 
of  the  angels,  or  failing  in  this,  to  sink  to  the  level,  or  below 
the  level,  of  the  beasts.  It  is  for  man  to  choose  life,  to 
choose  blessing.  This  is  God's  purpose  with  him.  This  is 
the  life  God  has  meant  for  him  to  live,  arrd  this  alone  is 
pleasing  to  God.  In  the  Psalmist's  words : 

Who  shall  ascend  into  the  m.ountain  of  the  Lord? 

And  who  shall  stand  in  His  holy  place? 

He  that  hath  clean  hands  and  a  pure  heart; 

Who  hath  not  taken  My  name  in  vain, 

And  hath  not  sworn  deceitfully. 

He  shall  receive  a  blessing  from  the  Lord, 

And  righteousness  from  the  God  of  his  salvation. 

NOTES 

A  little  consideration  will  show  that  actually  this  story  gives  an 
account  of  creation  different  from,  and  totally  independent  of  that 
in  Genesis  I.  Here  man  is  created  first,  and  after  him  the  trees. 
Then,  that  man  be  not  alone,  God  creates  the  animals,  one  after  the 
other,  to  be  helpmates  to  him.  But  not  one  proves  suitable  for  this 
purpose.  Finally  God  creates  woman  from  man's  rib,  and  now, 
"bone  of  his  bone  and  flesh  of  his  flesh",  she  proves  the  desired 
helpmate. 

The   conception    of   God   here   also   differs    radically    from   that   in 


58  The  Book  of  Genesis 

Genesis  I.  There  God  is  transcendental  and  spiritual;  He  merely 
speaks  His  divine  word  and  the  various  acts  of  creation  ensue. 
Clearly  this  conception  is  the  product  of  an  age  of  philosophy  and 
theology,  which  refused  to  think  of  God  as  possessing  human  attri- 
butes orx  discharging  such  peculiarly  human  functions  as  coming  in 
contact  with  mortals  or  working  with  His  hands.  In  Genesis  II  and 
III,  on  the  other  hand,  God  is  conceived  in  purely  human  mould,  the 
only  way  in  which  the  mind  of  early  Israel  could  picture  Him. 
He  fashions  man  from  the  dust  with  His  hands,  and  breathes  of 
His  own  breath  into  the  man's  nostrils.  He  is  the  lord  of  the  garden, 
and  takes  His  daily  walk  therein  in  the  cool  of  the  day,  and  con- 
verses familiarly  with  His  creatures.  This  conception  of  'the  Deity 
is  far  more  crude  and  primitive,  even  while  more  simple  and  poetic, 
than  that  of  Genesis  I.  This  is  not  only  because,  as  has  been  said, 
these  folk-tales  are  the  product  of  the  earliest  period  of  Is'rael's 
cultural  and  religious  evolution,  but  also  because  even  their  present 
literary  form  is  the  work  of  a  period  earlier  than  that  of  the  com- 
position of  Genesis  I,  when  the  conception  of  the  Deity  had  not  yet 
been  completely  spiritualized. 

This,  and  much  of  what  follows,  is,  of  course,  information  only 
for  the  teacher,  and  not  intended  for  direct  presentation  to  the  chil- 
dren. However,  the  teacher  must  be  prepared  to  answer  correctly 
whatever  questions  the  children  may  ask.  With  this  end  in  view, 
everything  which  contributes  to  the  full  and  authoritative  under- 
standing of  the  story  by  the  teacher,  should  be  of  service. 

Chiefly  upon  this  story  Christianity  has  based  its  doctrine  of 
original  sin.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  this  doctrine  is  diametrically 
opposed  to  the  fundamental  teachings  of  Judaism. 

Formerly  the  attempt  was  frequently  made  to  determine  the 
exact  location  of  the  garden  of  Eden.  The  arguments  were  based 
chiefly  upon  the  accounts  of  the  four  rivers  in  vv.  10-14.  Of  these 
four  rivers,  only  two,  the  Euphrates  and  the  Tigris,  can  be  positively 
identified.  Various  hypotheses  have  been  advanced  to  identify  the 
other  two.  In  general  the  garden  of  Eden  has  been  located  in  the 
upper  Mesopotamian  valley,  or  in  the  highlands  of  Asia  Minor  or 
Armenia,  where  both  the  Euphrates  and  Tigris  have  their  sources. 
However,  all  these  attempts  are  entirely  fanciful  and  valueless. 
Biblical  science  has  established,  on  the  one  hand,  that  vv.  10-14  are 
not  a  part  of  the  original  story,  but  were  inserted  long  after  the 
story  proper  was  written,  and  on  the  other  hand,  that  the  original 
author  or  authors  had  no  clearly  defined  conception  of  the  location  of 
Eden.  Now  they  seem  to  put  it  in  the  extreme  east,  and  again  in 


The  Garden  of  Eden  59 

the  extreme  west.  It  is  obvious  that  it  was  a  purely  mythical  con- 
ception. Therefore  all  attempts  to  localize  it  with  precision  rest 
upon  an  entire  misunderstanding  of  the  origin  and  true  nature  of 
the  s'tory. 

V.  6.  The  Hebrew  word,  cd,  which  is  usually  translated  "mist", 
occurs  in  only  one  other,  and  a  rather  obscure,  passage  of  the  Bible, 
Job  XXXVI,  27.  The  real  connotation  of  the  word  has  always  been 
uncertain.  The  majority  of  the  oldest  translations  of  the  Bible  ren- 
dered it  "spring".  Other  translators  interpreted  it  as  "cloud".  The 
customary  translation  "mist",  although  traditional,  seems  to  have  little 
justification.  Evidence  newly  come  to  light  indicates  that  the  earliest 
translation,  "spring",  was  probably  correct.  Certainly  the  picture  of 
this  spring  rising  from  out  the  earth,  and  the  trees  growing  around 
it,  and  the  stream  flowing  forth  therefrom  to  water  the  garden,  and 
four  great  rivers  issuing  from  this,  accords  better  with  the  entire 
story  than  if  we  translate  ed  "mist".  Likewise  the  spring  in  the 
desert  with  the  garden  of  trees  growing  around  it,  in  other  words 
an  oasis,  is  in  full  harmony  with  the  desert  origin  and  background 
of  this  story  which  we  posited  above. 

V.  7.  The  Hebrew  word  for  "man"  here  is  adam,  while  the 
word  for  "ground"  is  odamah.  The  implication  is  that  man  received 
this  name,  adam,  because  he  was  made  from  the  ground,  adamah. 

V.  8.  Eden  really  means  "pleasure".  Probably  the  original  story 
spoke  only  of  a  gan  eden,  a  "pleasure  garden".  In  time,  however,  the 
original  meaning  was  forgotten,  and  eden  came  to  be  regarded  as  a 
proper  name  designating  a  certain  country.  A  moment's  consideration 
will  show  that  the  original  story  must  have  represented  Eden  as  the 
pleasure  garden  not  of  the  man  and  the  woman,  but  of  the  Deity  who 
dwelt  therein  (Cf.  XIII,  10;  Ezekiel  XXVIII,  13;  XXXI,  3-9). 
This  same  conception  exists  in  the  mythologies  of  other  primitive 
peoples. 

V.  9.  The  reference  here  to  the  tree  of  life  occasions  some 
difficulty.  Not  only  does  this  tree  play  no  role  at  all  in  the  sub- 
sequent story  proper,  but  II,  17;  III,  3,  11  and  17  clearly  imply  that 
God  had  forbidden  but  one  tree  alone.  The  rabbis  of  old  solved  this 
problem  by  saying  that  God  needed  to  prohibit  only  the  tree  of 
knowledge,  for  it  surrounded  the  tree  of  life  on  all  sides  like  a 
hedge,  and  whoever  would  penetrate  to  the  latter  must  'first  hew  for 
himself  a  path  through  the  tree  of  knowledge.  It  is  a  suggestive 
thought  that  only  through  the  attainment  of  true  knowledge  can  we 
win  at  last  to  true  life.  The  wise  teacher  can  develop  this  thought 
very  profitably  in  the  classroom. 


60  The  Book  of  Genesis 

However,  from  a  purely  scientific  standpoint  it  is  clear  that  the 
original  story  spoke  of  only  one  tree  in  the  center  of  the  garden,  the 
fruit  of  which  God  had  forbidden  to  the  man  and  his  wife.  The 
references  to  the  tree  of  life  were  inserted  by  a  later  writer,  at  some 
time  after  the  original  story  was  first  written  down.  It  is  noteworthy 
that  vv.  23  and  24  tell  twice,  and  with  differing  motives,  of  the  ex- 
pulsion of  the  man  from  the  garden.  Manifestly  v.  23  is  the  con- 
clusion of  the  original  story,  and  tells  that  in  accordance  with  the 
terms  of  the  curse,  man  was  driven  from  the  garden  to  till  the  soil. 
Vv.  22  and  24,  and  also  the  reference  in  II,  9  to  the  tree  of  life,  are 
the  insertions  of  the  later  writer.  II,  15  was  likewise  inserted  by  him. 
For  on  the  one  hand,  it  repeats  unnecessarily  the  thought  already 
stated  in  v.  8,  that  God  had  placed  the  man  in  the  garden,  and  it 
adds  the  statement  that  man  was  to  dress  the  garden  and  keep  it. 
But  since  tilling  the  soil  and  bitter  toil  are,  in  the  story  proper,  the 
punishment  for  his  sin,  and  the  implication  is  therefore,  that  pre- 
viously man  did  not  have  to  work,  but  merely  plucked  his  food  of 
fruit  from  the  trees  without  trouble,  this  statement  that  man  had  to 
dress  the  garden  is  clearly  out  of  place.  The  story  is  complete, 
harmonious,  and  most  effective  if  it  is  omitted. 

Probably,  too,  the  original  story  spoke  only  of  "the  tree  which 
is  in'  the  midst  of  the  garden",  and  did  not  at  first  indicate  its 
nature  by  calling  it  "the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil". 
This  was  partially  revealed  by  the  serpent.  But  unfortunately  the 
serpent  knew  nothing  of  the  real  consequences  of  eating  of  the  tree. 
Thus  its  true  nature  was  learned  only  through  bitter  experience.  All 
this  is  implied  in  the  language  of  III,  3,  11  and  17,  which  speak 
only  of  "the  tree  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  garden".  Certainly 
the  dramatic  impression  is  heightened,  if  the  tree  be  designated  only 
as  "the  tree  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  garden",  and  it  be  left 
for  its  true  nature  to  be  discovered  only  when  its  fruit  is  first  tasted. 
We  recommend  that  the  teacher  tell  the  story  as  it  must  have  been 
told  by  the  original  author,  and  that  she,  too,  call  it  only  "the  tree 
which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  garden",  until  the  dramatic  crisis  of 
the  story  is  reached,  when  the  man  and  the  woman  eat  of  the  tree 
and  learn  its  true  nature  to  their  sorrow.  Thereafter  it  may  be 
called  "the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil".  Of  the  tree 
of  life  as  little  as  possible  should  be  said,  since  reference  to  it 
merely  confuses,  raises  unnecessary  anJ  difficult  questions,  and  be- 
clouds the  real  meaning  of  the  story. 

Vv.  10-15  are  not  an  integral  part  of  the  narrative,  but  were  in- 
serted by  some  late  writer.  They  disturb  the  continuity  of  the  story, 


The  Garden  of  Eden  61 

while  v.  15  repeats  unnecessarily  what  was  previously  sufficiently 
stated  in  v.  8.  Many  attempts  have  been  made  to  identify  the 
Pishon  and  the  Gihon  rivers,  but  all  in  vain. 

V.  16.  According  to  this  story  man  was  at  'first  to  eat  only  of 
the  fruit  of  the  trees.  Only  as  the  result  of  the  curse  does  he  come 
to  eat  bread  and  the  produce  of  the  soil.  In  this'  respect,  too,  this 
creation-story  differs  essentially  from  that  in  Genesis  I.  There  the 
herbs  of  the  ifield  were  from  the  very  first  given  to  man  for  food. 

Vv.  18-20  tell  most  naively  that  God  created  the  various  kinds 
of  animals  one  after  the  other,  intending  that  each,  in  turn,  should 
be  the  proper  helpmate  for  the  man.  But  He  failed  in  each  attempt. 
Therefore  He  determined  at  last  upon  a  different  plan.  He  took  a 
part  of  the  man's  own  body,  and  from  this  fashioned  his  helpmate; 
this  attempt  succeeded.  It  is  clear  that  this  ancient  folktale  really 
seeks  to  account  for  the  origin  of  animals.  The  naive  conception  that 
man  and  the  animals  occupy  the  same  plane  of  existence,  and  that 
therefore  animals  might  possibly  be  suitable  mates  for  men,  is  a 
common  motive  in  primitive  folk-lore.  Likewise  the  thought  that 
God  failed  repeatedly  in  what  He  attempted,  evidences  the  primitive 
character  of  this  tale,  particularly  when  contrasted  with 'the  impres- 
sive picture  of  God's  transcendent  omnipotence  in  Genesis  I. 

V.  20.  For  the  significance  of  giving  names  to  the  animals,  cf. 
note  to  I,  5. 

V.  23.  Another  Hebrew  word  for  "man"  is  ish.  The  corres- 
ponding word  for  "woman"  is  ishah.  The  implication  here  is  that 
since  woman  was  made  from  a  part  of  man,  she  received  the  name 
ishah,  apparently,  though  not  actually,  derived  from  ish9  "man". 

Chapter  III,  v.  1.  The  story  seems  to  imply  that  the  serpent 
originally  walked  erect,  and  only  through  the  curse  came  to  crawl 
on  his  belly.  This,  too,  is  the  explanation  of  the  ancient  rabbis. 
Christianity  sees  in  the  serpent  the  devil,  the  power  of  evil.  Juda- 
ism, however,  knows  nothing  of  the  devil.  Such  a  conception  of  a 
power  of  evil,  independent  of  and  opposed  to  God,  would  contradict 
Judaism's  fundamental  teaching  of  the  absolute  oneness  and  omnip- 
otence of  God. 

V.  15.  The  basis  of  this  folk-tale  is,  of  course,  the  natural  human 
horror  of  serpents. 

V.  16.  This  verse  voices  the  common  Oriental  conception  of 
woman's  inferiority  to  man. 

V.  17.  Adam  is  here,  as  also  in  II,  20  and  III,  21,  seemingly 
used  as  a  proper  name. 


62  The  Book  of  Genesis 

V.  20.  The  name  Eve  (chavvah}  is  here  represented  as  being 
etymologically  akin  to  the  word  chay,  "a  living  being". 

V.  21.  Skins  of  animals  are  here  said  to  have  been  the  first 
regular,  human  garments.  The  fig  leaf  girdle  of  V.  7  was,  of  course, 
only  a  temporary  covering  of  nakedness. 

V.  22.  This  verse  not  only  implies  that  eternal  life  was  thought 
to  be  an  attribute  of  the  gods,  but,  as  the  language  clearly  indicates, 
it  also  pictures  the  ancient  belief  in  the  existence  of  more  than  one 
god.  Cf.  note  to  I,  26.  We  need  no  longer  feel  shocked  at  the 
thought  that  our  ancestors  passed  through  the  polytheistic  stage  of 
religious  belief  before  they  'finally  arrived  at  the  idea  of  monotheism, 
and  that  a  few  vestiges  of  the  ancient  belief  still  survive  in  the  oldest 
passages  of  the  Bible. 

V.  24.  Eden  apparently  is  here  located  at  the  extreme  western 
end  of  the  earth,  since  the  only  entrance  is  from  the  east.  In  II,  8 
it  is  located  in  the  extreme  east. 

The  cherubim  are  usually  conceived  of  as  a  class  of  angels  or 
subordinate  divine  beings,  represented  generally  with  a  human  face 
and  head,  the  body  of  one  kind  of  animal,  the  legs  and  feet  of  an- 
other, and  the  wings  of  a  bird.  The  conception  is  probably  of  Baby- 
lonian origin.  Psalm  XVIII,  11  represents  God  as  riding  upon  a 
cherub. 

It  is  not  certain  just  what  "the  flaming  sword  which  turned  every 
way"  was.  It  was  probably  based  upon  some  peculiar,  mythological 
conception. 


Cain  and  Abel  63 


III 

CAIN  AND  ABEL 

(Genesis  IV,  1-16) 

Am  I  my  brother's  keeper?      (Genesis  IV,  9.) 

Behold  how  good  and  how  pleasant  it  is 

For  brethren  to  dwell  together  in  unity!     (Psalm  CXXXIII,  1.) 

Read  the  whole  of  Psalm  CXXXIII. 

The  story  of  Cain  and  Abel,  too,  is  in  origin  a  folk-tale, 
answering  the  almost  universal  questions,  How  did  men 
begin  to  worship  God?  and  How  did  death  come  into  the 
world?  It,  too,  probably  had  its  birth  in  the  nomad  period 
of  Israel's  history.  This  is  to  be  inferred  from  the  concep- 
tion of  sacrifice  which  the  story  pictures.  Not  Cain's  sacri- 
fice of  the  produce  of  his  fields  is  acceptable  to  God,  but 
Abel's  sacrifice  of  the  firstlings  of  his  sheep.  Not  only  was 
this  always  the  normal  sacrifice  in  ancient  Israel,  but  it  also 
had  its  origin  in  the  old,  desert  life,  when  field  products 
were  almost  entirely  unknown,  and  the  only  true  sacrifice 
consisted  of  the  best  of  the  sheep.  From  this  standpoint 
field  products  constituted  an  insufficient  and  unworthy  sacri- 
fice. For  this  reason  the  story,  written  entirely  from  the 
nomad  point  of  view,  condemns  the  sacrifice  of  Cain  and 
approves  that  of  Abel. 

But  although  a  folk-tale  in  origin,  there  runs  through 
this  story,  as  through  the  folk-tales  already  considered,  the 
dominant,  religious  spirit  of  Judaism.  In  its  present  form 
the  story  deals  primarily  with  the  problem  of  brotherhood. 
Its  thought  is  summed  up  in  Cain's  question,  "Am  I  my 


64  The  Book  of  Genesis 

brother's  keeper?"  He  had  expected  a  negative  reply.  But 
to  his  utter  surprise  and  consternation  the  answer  came 
back,  if  not  expressed  directly  in  words,  yet  fully  implied 
in  God's  dealing  with  him,  "You  are  your  brother's  keeper, 
and  are  responsible  for  his  life  and  welfare  and  happiness". 
This  is  Judaism's  unvarying  answer  to  this  eternal,  universal 
question,  and  this  answer  makes  this  story  for  us  more  than 
a  mere  folk-tale,  as  it  was  at  first ;  it  makes  it  pulsate  with 
Jewish  life,  thought,  and  belief. 

To  a  certain  extent  even  primitive  peoples  have  answered 
this  question  in  much  this  same  way,  that  man  is  his  brother's 
keeper,  provided,  however,  that  that  brother  be  actually  of 
one's  own  flesh  and  blood.  Brotherhood  was  originally  lim- 
ited to  members  of  the  clan  or  tribe.  And  even  in  this  twen- 
tieth century  the  conception  of  brotherhood  has  seemingly 
developed  but  little  beyond  national  and  denominational  lines. 
Men  are  still  held  far  apart  by  racial,  national,  or  religious 
differences.  Competition  is  an  approved  principle  in  modern 
economic  life.  And  often,  for  little  or  no  cause,  ties  of 
flesh  and  blood  are  severed  at  a  stroke.  In  the  social  life 
of  many  peoples,  and  in  our  own  social  life  today,  brother- 
hood is  often  held  in  light  esteem 

In  significant  contrast,  Judaism  has  advanced  a  positive 
conception  of  brotherhood  and  brotherly  guardianship..  It 
holds  that  we  are  our  brother's  keeper  in  the  most  literal 
sense ;  that  we  are  responsible,  not  only  for  his  life,  but  like- 
wise for  his  welfare,  happiness,  and  opportunity  for  devel- 
opment. In  the  first  place,  it  has  affirmed  this  idea  in  rela- 
tion to  the  real  family  life.  The  family  and  the  home  in 
Israel  have  always  been  institutions  whose  sanctity  paralleled 
in  every  respect  that  of  the  Temple  itself.  In  the  Jewish 
home  parents  and  children,  brothers  and  sisters,  have  been 
bound  together  by  the  closest  and  most  indissoluble  ties,  until 
the  Jewish  home  and  Jewish  family  life  have  become  prover- 
bial. Our  history  is  rich  in  stories  of  brotherly  devotion. 


Cain  and  Abel  65 

Brotherhood  has  always  meant  more  to  the  Jew  than  to  all 
other  peoples,  mutual  love  and  tenderness,  responsibility  and 
guardianship,  opportunity  and  cooperation. 

A  well-known  story  of  the  rabbis  strikingly  illustrates 
this  Jewish  conception  of  brotherly  love.  There  were  once 
two  brothers,  who  possessed  adjoining  fields,  which  they  had 
inherited  from  their  father,  One  year  the  crops  were  bad, 
and  famine  and  starvation  threatened.  One  night,  as  he 
lay  upon  his  bed,  the  older  brother  thought  to  himself,  "My 
brother  is  younger  than  I,  and  needs  his  strength  more". 
So  he  rose  and  went  to  his  field,  and  took  of  his  sheaves 
and  put  them  in  his  brother's  field.  That  same  night  the 
younger  brother,  lying  upon  his  bed,  thought  to  himself, 
"My  brother  is  older  than  I,  and  married,  and  his  needs  are 
greater  than  mine".  So  he,  too,  arose  and  took  of  his 
sheaves,  and  put  them  in  his  brother's  field.  In  the  morning 
each  found  to  his  surprise,  that  in  some  mysterious  way  the 
sheaves,  which  he  had  put  in  the  other's  field,  had  returned 
whence  they  came.  The  next  night  the  incident  was  re- 
peated, and  again  on  the  third  night.  But  on  this  night  it 
happened  that  the  two  brothers  went  out  to  their  fields  at 
the  same  time.  When  they  saw  what  each  was  doing,  they 
kissed  each  other  and  wept  for  joy.  And  the  act  was  so 
pleasing  to  God,  that  later  the  field,  sanctified  by  the  love  of 
the  two  brothers,  was  deemed  worthy  to  become  the  site  of 
the  great  and  beautiful  Temple  of  Solomon. 

In  the  second  place,  Judaism  has  applied  its  conception 
of  brotherly  love  to  all  Israel.  When  the  sons  of  Jacob 
went  down  to  Egypt  to  buy  corn  and  stood  before  their 
brother  Joseph,  whom  they  had  wronged,  they  did  not  rec- 
ognize him,  although  he  knew  them.  Nevertheless,  when,  in 
order  to  test  them,  he  pretended  to  believe  that  they  were 
spies,  and  roughly  asked  them  who  they  were,  they  un- 
wittingly 'gave  an  answer  which  expresses  an  eternal  truth. 
"We  thy  servants  are  twelve  brethren",  they  said,  "the  sons 


66  The  Book  of  Genesis 

of  one  man  in  the  land  of  Canaan"  (XLI,  13).  Ever  since, 
the  truest  name  and  proudest  title  by  which  the  Jewish  peo- 
ple has  been  called,  and  has  delighted  to  call  itself,  is  b'nai 
yisrael,  "Children  of  Israel".  All  Israel  are  brothers,  the 
rabbis  taught,  bound  together  by  the  closest  ties  of  common 
ancestry,  fellowship,  and  love.  Upon  each  Israelite  rests 
the  obligation  of  caring  for  his  Jewish  brother,  and  of  pro- 
moting his  happiness  and  opportunity  for  full  and  right  liv- 
ing. After  the  destruction  of  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem  by 
the  Romans  in  70  C.  E.,  the  victorious  general  Titus  car- 
ried away  as  captives  hundreds  of  thousands  of  Jewish 
youths  and  maidens,  and  sold  them  as  slaves  in  all  the  great 
markets  of  the  world.  So  many  there  were  that  the  market 
was  glutted,  and  the  price  of  slaves  fell  to  a  fraction  of 
what  it  had  been  before.  Sad  indeed  was  the  fate  in  store 
for  them.  But  at  least  wherever  fellow-Jews  dwelt,  these 
miserable  slaves  were  at  once  bought  up  by  their  devoted 
coreligionists  and  given  their  freedom.1  That  was  true 
Jewish  brotherhood. 

Similarly,  through  all  the  centuries,  when  persecution 
and  oppression,  the  like  of  which  the  world  has  never  known, 
have  been  Israel's  lot,  Jews  have  stood  close  together  in  the 
firm  conviction  that  they  were  all  truly  brothers,  upon  each 
of  whom  rested  responsibility  for  the  protection,  welfare, 
and  happiness  of  those  brothers,  less  fortunate  or  more 
oppressed  than  they.  Even  today  we  Jews  have  the  reputa- 
tion of  caring  for  our  weak  and  unfortunate  and  needy  far 
more  systematically,  thoroughly,  and  generously  than  any 
other  people.  Nor  do  we  call  it  "charity",  for  the  Hebrew 
language  and  the  Jewish  religion  have  no  term  which  quite 
expresses  the  thought  of  this  word.  We  call  it  tsedakah, 
"justice",  and  we  voice  thereby  the  significant  Jewish  thought 
that  our  brethren  have  an  inalienable  and  just  claim  upon 

1  Graetz,  History  of  the  Jews   (English  translation),   II,  311f. 


Cain  and  Abel  67 

us  for  help  and  support  in  distress.  The  conviction  that  we 
are  our  brother's  keeper  has  become  deeply  ingrained  in  the 
Jewish  consciousness  and  the  Jewish  character,  and  is  a 
guiding  principle  in  much  of  our  Jewish  life  today. 

And  in  the  third  place,  in  the  course  of  its  historic  and 
religious  unfolding,  Judaism  has  come  to  realize  and  pro- 
claim an  even  broader  and  grander  conception  of  brother- 
hood. It  was  born  in  the  thought  first  expressed  by  the 
prophet  Malachi, 

Have  we  not  all  one   father? 

Hath  not  one  God  created  us?     (Malachi  IT,  10.) 

Judaism  has  expanded  this  thought  far- beyond  what  even 
the  prophet  himself  conceived,  for  it  has  declared  that  if 
all  men  have  one  Father,  then,  be  they  who  they  may,  all 
men  must  truly  be  brothers.  The  conception  of  universal 
brotherhood,  which  is  today  beginning  to  enter  somewhat 
into  the  social,  economic  and  political  life  of  nations  and  of 
mankind,  is  one  of  Judaism's  priceless  gifts  to  the  world. 
Persecuted  by  almost  all  peoples  among  whom  he  came  to 
dwell,  driven  from  place  to  place,  from  city  to  city,  and 
from  nation  to  nation,  often  denied  where  to  lay  his  head 
even  for  a  night,  the  Jew  has  nevertheless  persisted  in  his 
conviction  of  the  universal  Fatherhood  of  God  and  the  uni- 
versal Brotherhood  of  Man.  And  he  has  boldly  declared 
through  all  the  ages,  that  despite  racial,  social,  or  religious 
separation,  despite  warfare,  bloodshed,  and  oppression,  all 
men  are  created  in  the  image  of  the  one,  universal  God,  and 
are  therefore  bound  together  by  ties  too  strong  to  be  broken 
even  by  warfare,  enmity,  and  hatred.  This  message  of  uni- 
versal brotherhood,  peace,  and  love,  first  realized  by  the  Jew, 
and  proclaimed  by  him  to  all  the  world,  must  become  the 
saving  principle,  which  will  eventually  cause  the  disarma- 
ment of  nations,  and  bring  all  men  to  feel  that  they  have 
more  to  bind  them  together  than  to  separate  them,  arfd  that 


68  The  Book  of  Genesis 

they  can  realize  the  true  ideal  of  life,  the  true  purpose  of 
existence,  only  when  they  come  to  believe,  and  to  live  their 
belief,  that  we  are  all  our  brother's  keeper.  The  Psalmist 
has  truly  said, 

Behold  how  good  and  how  pleasant  it  is 
For  brethren  to  dwell  together  in  unity ! 
For  there  the  Lord  commanded  the  blessing, 
Even   life    forever. 

Perhaps  not  all  this  can  be  taught  to  little  children,  at  least  not 
all  at  once,  nor  just  in  the  way  outlined  in  the  preceding  paragraphs. 
These  were  intended  primarily  for  the  teacher,  that  she  may  under- 
stand aright  the  full  Jewish  interpretation  of  the  great  principle  of 
brotherhood,  and  that  she  might,  out  of  the  fulness  of  her  knowl- 
edge, select  just  the  material  she  would  give  to  the  children.  Many 
stories  about  brothers  will  follow,  and  the  instruction  of  this  first 
lesson  may  be  amplified  by  these  subsequent  lessons.  Gradually  the 
children  may  thus  come  to  feel  with  the  teacher  all  the  truth,  all 
the  beauty,  all  the  glory  of  this  sublime  Jewish  message  of  brother- 
hood. 

Another  significant  thought  is  suggested  by  v.  7  and 
by  the  outcome  of  the  story.  The  verse  itself  is  difficult  of 
exact  translation.  The  words,  "shall  it  not  be  lifted  up?" 
are  a  pure  guess  at  the  possible  meaning  of  a  Hebrew  word 
in  the  sentence,  which,  as  it  stands,  is  corrupt  and  abso- 
lutely untranslatable.  It  is  probably  as  good  a  guess  as  any 
other.  However,  the  general  meaning  of  the  verse  and  its 
context  seems  clear.  God  chides  Cain  for  his  unwarranted 
jealousy  of  his  brother,  and  says  to  him,  "If  thou  doest  what 
is  right,  shalt  thou  not  receive  reward  from  the  Lord?  And 
if  thou  dost  not  do  what  is  right,  then  sin  lieth  in  wait  for 
thee,  and  its  desire  is  for  thee  to  overcome  thee.  Neverthe- 
less thou  mayest  gain  the  mastery  over  it".  It  is  the  thought 
of  the  story  of  the  Garden  of  Eden  in  a  somewhat  new 
dress.  Man  is  endowed  by  God  with  the  power  to  choose 
between  good  and  evil.  And  not  only  has  he  this 'power,  but 
sooner*  or  later  he  is  forced  in  some  way  or  other  to  make 


Cain  and  Abel  69 

this  choice.  Already  as  little  children  there  comes  to  us  the 
compulsion  to  choose  between  good  and  evil,  between  obedi- 
ence and  disobedience,  between  righteousness  and  sin.  Some 
choose  the  right,  and  ever  thereafter  choosing  the  right  be- 
comes a  little  easier.  And  at  last,  if  only  they  train  them- 
selves carefully  and  steadfastly  to  choose  only  the  right  and 
to  shun  all  wrong,  doing  the  right  becomes  a  part  of  their 
nature.  They  have  gained  the  mastery  over  the  inclination 
to  sin,  and  reward  from  God  is  sure  to  be  their  portion. 

Others,  alas,  choose  the  wrong.  And  in  time,  as  we  have 
learned  the  earthly  nature  within  them  prevails  completely, 
and  they  sink  to  the  level  of  the  beasts  of  the  earth.  As  the 
verse  says,  sin  lies  in  wait  for  them,  crouching  at  their  very 
door,  as  it  were,  and  its  desire  is  constantly  for  them  to 
overcome  them.  At  last  it  gains  its  end.  If  we  persistently 
choose  the  evil,  and  yield  to  the  allurement  of  sin  without 
a  struggle,  as  some  do,  we  lose  at  last  all  power  to  choose 
the  good,  and  become  completely  creatures  of  evil  and  sin. 
Rabbi  Akiba,  one  of  the  wisest  of  Israel's  ancient  teachers, 
used  to  say,  "At  first  sin  is  like  a  thread,  which  can  be 
snapped  with  but  the  least  effort.  But  in  the  end  it  becomes 
like  a  cable,  which  can  never  be  broken".  And  another 
teacher,  Rabbi  Isaac,  used  to  say,  "Sin  is  at  first  only  the 
guest;  in  the  end,  however,  it  becomes  the  host". 

The  truth  of  these  adages  is  well  exemplified  by  the 
story  of  Cain.  He  began  by  choosing  the  wrong,  and  envy- 
ing and  hating  his  brother,  just  because  Abel's  sacrifice  had 
proved  more  acceptable  to  God.  And  he  ended  by  killing 
his  brother,  the  most  awful  crime  known  to  man.  Sin  had 
triumphed  over  him,  and  he  was  completely  in  its  power. 
He  had  hearkened  to  the  call  of  the  earthly  nature  within 
him ;  he  had  acted  as  the  beasts  themselves  act  when  they 
prey  upon  one  another,  and  he  had  sunk  therefore  to  the 
very  level  of  the  beasts.  In  consequence  he  was  driven  out 
from  the  habitations  of  men,  and  lost  all  human  companion- 


70  The  Book  of  Genesis 

ship.  The  hand  of  every  man  was  against  him,  as  against 
a  feared  and  hated  beast.  By  his  own  act  he  was  doomed 
to  wander,  ceaselessly,  a  fugitive  and  an  outcast,  up  and 
down  the  earth,  never  safe,  never  at  rest,  never  daring  to 
pause  For  even  a  moment,  with  the  mark  of  the  sinner  and 
the  beast  upon  him,  and  fearing  for  his  life  before  every 
man.  Such  is  the  fate  of  the  sinner  ever,  and  sooner  or 
later  his  sins  are  sure  to  be  visited  upon  him  by  God. 

And  some  there  are,  and  most  of  us  are  of  this  class, 
who  hesitate  and  vacillate,  who  choose  now  the  good  and 
now  the  evil.  Sometimes  the  voice  of  God  within  leads 
them  to  choose  the  right;  and  sometimes  they  hearken  to  the 
call  of  their  earthly  natures  and  choose  the  wrong.  How 
is  it  with  them?  This  life  may  be  likened  to  a  beautiful 
park,  in  which  God  has  established  two  roads.  The  road 
on  the  left  seems  at  first  to  lead  straight  ahead,  and  to  be 
broad  and  firm  and  easy  to  travel.  And  the  other  road  on 
the  right,  seems  narrow  and  insecure  under  foot  and  for- 
bidding, and  it  is  impossible  to  look  far  adown  it  and  de- 
termine whither  it  leads.  Between  the  two  roads,  high 
up  where  all  may  read,  is  the  warning  sign,  "Turn  to  the 
right".  But  the  road  on  the  left  seems  much  the  better  and 
pleasanter  and  more  inviting,  and  most  people  disregard 
this  sign,  if  they  see  it  at  all,  and  take  the  broad  and 
easy  path.  Soon,  however,  they  realize  that  the  path  is 
Knot  straight,  that  it  curves  away  to  the  left,  farther  and 
farther  from  the  narrow  road.  And  it  becomes  ever  harder 
under  foot,  and  those  who  tread  it  grow  foot-sore  and 
weary.  It  becomes  narrow,  too,  and  overgrown,  and  bram- 
bles and  briars  on  the  wayside  snatch  at  the  tired  wan- 
derers, and  pierce  and  tear  and  wound.  Very  soon  the 
wise  and  clearsighted  begin  to  think  of  the  other  road  on 
the  right.  Luckily  for  them,  every  now  and  then  paths 
appear  on  the  right  side,  each  with  the  sign,  "Turn  to  the 
right".  And  one  by  one  the  wise  turn  aside  into  these  paths, 


Cain  and  Abel  71 

and  at  last  regain  the  narrow  and  straight  road.  Only 
the  blind  and  the  weak,  and  those  who  are  too  lazy  or 
too  stiff-necked,  refuse  to  turn  aside.  And  with  each 
step  their  road  becomes  darker  and  narrower  and  more  pain- 
ful, and  it  ends  at  last  in  destruction  and  punishment  for 
all  who  persist  in  it. 

The  paths  which  lead  to  the  right  are  the  only  hope  for 
those  who,  despite  the  first  warning  sign,  enter  upon  the 
wrong  road.  At  first  there  are  many  such  paths,  and  even 
though  a  false  start  has  been  made,  it  is  still  no  very  diffi- 
cult thing  to  "turn  to  the  right".  Gradually,  however,  the 
paths  become  fewer  and  farther  apart,  and  longer  and  harder 
to  travel,  as  the  broad  road  bends  ever  farther  to  the  left  away 
from  the  true  and  straight  road.  At  last  they  cease  altogether, 
and  those  who  still  continue  in  the  crooked  way  are  hopelessly 
lost.  Yet  up  to  the  very  last  path  it  is  possible  to  depart 
from  the  evil  way  and  "turn  to  the  right".  It  means  hard 
and  bitter  struggle  and  much  time  lost  for  having  strayed 
from  the  true  course,  but  at  last  we  can  win  to  the  straight 
road  and  to  true  happiness,  and  can  attain  the  goal  of  use- 
fulness and  blessing  which  God  has  appointed  for  all  exist- 
ence, if  only  we  persist  in  our  struggle  and  steadfastly 
choose  the  right.  Sin  will  overcome  us  at  last,  if  we  yield 
weakly  to  it.  But  so  long  as  we  struggle,  we  may  still  gain 
the  mastery.  The  paths  are  repentance,  acknowledgment  of 
sin,  self-abasement,  atonement  and  divine  forgiveness.  All 
these  lead  back  to  the  right  road,  the  way  God  has  meant 
that  mankind  should  tread.  The  rabbis  said,  "He  who 
acknowledges  his  sin  and  humbles  himself  in  this  world, 
will  not  be  put  to  shame  in  the  world  to  come".  Truly,  if 
we  choose  the  right  and  do  well,  we  shall  receive  reward 
from  the  Lord;  but  if  we  do  not  do  well;  then  sin  croucheth 
at  the  door,  and  for  us  is  its  desire,  and  it  must  at  last 
overcome  us.  Then  we  will  be  like  Cain,  and  his  fate  will 
be  ours. 


72  The  Book  of  Genesis 

But  even  this  by  no  means  exhausts  the  teaching  of 
Judaism  in  regard  to  sin  and  punishment,  and  repentance 
and  forgiveness.  The  next  lesson  will  have  something  to 
add  to  what  has  been  presented  here. 

NOTES 

The  above  outline  presents  two  distinct  and  independent  teach- 
ings of  Judaism,  that  of  human  brotherhood,  and  that  of  the  pos- 
sibility of  mastery  over  the  inclination  to  sin.  The  teacher  should 
not  make  the  serious  mistake  of  attempting  to  draw  both  lessons 
from  the  story  at  one  session.  By  so  doing  she  will  only  nullify  the 
effect  of  each.  She  may  content  herself  with  either  lesson,  or  she 
may  develop  each  thought  separately  at  successive  sessions.  Each 
is  worthy  of  such  presentation.  Should  she  resolve  upon  the  latter 
course,  we  would  suggest  that  the  lesson  of  brotherhood  be  presented 
first.  The  lesson  of  the  possible  mastery  of  sin  may  follow,  and 
serve  as  an  effective  introduction  to  the  story  of  the  flood,  with  its 
lesson  of  divine  justice,  punishment,  and  mercy.  A  carefully  pre- 
pared diagram  of  the  two  roads  and  the  connecting  by-paths,  drawn 
upon  the  blackboard,  may  serve  to  make  the  parable  concrete  and 
to  impress  it  indelibly  upon  the  minds  of  the  children. 

V.  3.  Each  brings  a  sacrifice  of  his  own  calling,  Cain  of  the 
produce  of  his  'fields,  and  Abel  of  the  firstlings  of  his  sheep.  That 
Abel's  sacrifice  is  accepted  and  Cain's  is  not,  is,  of  course,  due  to  the 
nomad  standpoint  from  which  the  story  was  written,  that  the  life 
of  the  shepherd  is  more  natural,  better  and  more  pleasing  to  God 
than  that  of  the  farmer,  and  consequently  the  shepherd's  sacrifice  is 
better  than  the  farmer's. 

Various  answers  have  been  given  to  the  question,  why  was  Abel's 
sacrifice  pleasing  to  God  and  Cain's  not?  They  are,  of  course,  all 
the  product  of  fancy.  The  customary  answer  is  that  Abel  offered  his 
sacrifice  gladly,  while  Cain's  was  given  grudgingly,  or  that  Cain  gave 
promiscuously,  while  Abel  gave  his  best.  There  is,  of  course,  ab- 
solutely no  basis  in  the  Biblical  story  itself  for  any  such  justifi- 
cation. 

V.  7.  As  every  one  knows,  printing  is  a  comparatively  modern 
invention.  Before  it  all  books  were  copied  by  hand.  In  consequence 
not  only  were  books,  or  rather  manuscripts,  rare  and  precious,  but 
they  were  also  quite  likely  to  contain  many  errors,  due  to  inexact 
copying  or  other  causes.  Even  today  in  copying  we  frequently  omit  a 
letter  or  misread  a  word  or  overlook  an  entire  sentence,  and  thus  mis- 


Cain  and  Abel  73 

takes  creep  into  our  copy,  which  can  be  corrected  only  by  careful  and 
minute  comparison  with  the  original.  In  ancient  Israel  similar  condi- 
tions obtained.  In  copying  manuscripts  scribes  were  only  too  liable  to 
err.  Nor  did  they  always  exercise  sufficient  care  in  copying  and 
correcting.  Mistakes  once  made,  were  necessarily  perpetuated  in 
copies  made  from  the  defective  manuscript.  In  consequence  more  or 
less  numerous  mistakes  exist  in  the  Hebrew  text  of  all  the  booKs 
of  the  Bible.  Those  books,  which  for  one  reason  or  another  were 
regarded  as  least  sacred,  and  were  accordingly  copied  least  fre- 
quently and  with  least  care,  as  for  example  the  Books  of  Samuel 
and  Ezekiel,  contain  the  most  mistakes,  or,  as  it  is  generally  stated, 
their  Hebrew  text  is  most  corrupt.  On  the  other  hand,  the  books 
which  were  considered  most  sacred,  the  Torah  for  example,  were  not 
only  copied  most  frequently,  but  also  with  the  most  scrupulous  care; 
in  consequence  they  were  subject  to  the  least  liability  of  error  and 
to  the  greatest  possibility  of  correcting"  errors  by  comparison  with 
other  manuscripts.  Therefore,  while  here  and  there  some  mistakes 
do  occur  in  their  text,  they  are  nevertheless  the  least  corrupt  of  all 
the  books  of  the  Bible.  Not  infrequently  the  nature  of  the  mistake 
can  be  readily  discerned  from  the  context  or  in  other  ways,  and  it 
can  be  corrected.  Quite  often,  too,  with  the  help  of  parallel  passages 
in  the  Bible,  or  by  retranslating  the  very  oldest  translations  of  the 
Bible  back  into  Hebrew,  the  original  text  can  be  recovered.  Occa- 
sionally, however,  all  these  established,  scientific  methods  fail.  And 
while,  for  one  reason  or  another,  ungrammatical  Hebrew  for  ex- 
ample, or  lack  of  proper  context,  we  can  not  fail  to  recognize  that 
the  Hebrew  text  is  corrupt,  we  are  totally  unable  to  amend  the  text, 
or  even  to  guess  with  any  degree  of  certainty  what  the  original 
reading  and  meaning  may  have  been.  This  explanation  will  apply 
to  a  small  number  of  such  hopelessly  corrupt  and  untranslatable  pas- 
sages, with  which  we  shall  be  compelled  to  deal.  V.  7  is  such  a  pas- 
sage. 

V.  9.  Notice  the  cleverness  of  both  question  and  answer.  It 
indicates  the  true  artist's  hand. 

V.  10.  At  the  bottom  of  this  verse  lies  the  conception  of  blood 
revenge.  In  the  desert  the  law  of  blood  revenge  is  the  fundamental 
principle  of  social  life.  If  a  member  of  one  family  or  clan  or  tribe 
has  been  killed,  some  member  of  the  family,  clan,  or  tribe  of  the 
murderer  must  be  killed  in  his  stead.  Otherwise,  it  was  thought, 
if  no  blood  were  shed  or  no  vengeance  taken,  the  soul  of  the  mur- 
dered person  could  not  rest,  but  must  torment  the  surviving  rela- 
tives until  the  proper  blood  revenge  was  exacted.  This  is  the 


74  The  Book  of  Genesis 

thought  underlying  the  words,  "The  voice  of  thy  brother's  blood 
crieth  out  to  Me  from  the  ground".  This  is  additional  evidence  of 
the  nomad  origin  and  basis  of  the  story. 

This  practice  of  blood  revenge  our  ancestors  brought  with  them 
out  of  the  desert  into  their  settled  life  in  Palestine.  But  as  the 
years  passed  and  their  civilization  developed  they  gradually  out- 
grew the  original,  cruel  practice.  The  custom  arose  of  imposing  a 
fine  upon  the  murderer  or  his  family,  and  also  of  distinguishing  very 
carefully  between  intentional  and  unintentional  murder.  Where  the 
killing  was  clearly  unintentional,  provision  was  made  for  the  slayer 
to  flee  to  a  city  of  refuge,  and  thus  go  unpunished  (Numbers  XXXV, 
11-34;  Deuteronomy  XIX,  1-13).  But  where  it  could  be  proved 
through  competent  witnesses  that  the  killing  had  been  premeditated, 
the  murderer  was  executed,  under  the  supervision  of  the  proper 
authorities,  by  the  relatives  of  the  murdered  man. 

It  can  readily  be  seen  from  this  what  a  grave  and  often  malicious 
misrepresentation  it  is,  to  say  that  Judaism  has  always  insisted  upon 
the  principle  of  eye  for  eye  and  tooth  for  tooth.  This  was  merely 
a  natural  and  necessary  stage  of  moral  and  social  evolution  through 
which  Israel,  like  all  other  peoples,  once  passed.  Judaism,  as  we 
all  know,  has  advanced  far  beyond  this  original  principle  of  retri- 
bution. Certainly  every  Jew 'should  know  how  to  refute  this  ig- 
norant and  unjust  charge,  whenever  made. 

V.  11.  In  consequence  of  the  curse  the  soil  becomes  immediately 
unproductive  and  ceases  to  respond  to  Cain's  tillage.  This  is,  of 
course,  comparable  to  the  effect  of  a  blessing  (cf.  note  to  I,  20). 

Y.  14.  The  Hebrew  word  for  soil,  adamah,  means  "tilled  ground" 
as  contrasted  with  the  desert  or  the  wilderness. 

The  question  is  often  asked,  if  Cain  and  Abel  were  the  first 
children  of  the  first  man  and  woman,  why  need  God  have  placed 
the  sign  upon  Cain's  forehead  to  warn  anyone  against  killing  him? 
The  teacher  should  try  to  keep  as  far  as  possible  from  suggesting 
this  difficult  question.  But  if  by  chance  the  children  should  ask  it, 
the  teacher  should  be  ready  with  the  only  truthful  answer,  that  this 
is  merely  a  beautiful  story,  and  may  well  therefore  be  unclear,  or 
even  self-contradictory,  in  some  of  its  details.  The  same  answer 
may  also  be  given  to  the  very  common  and  troublesome  question, 
who  were  the  wives  of  Cain  and  Abel?  The  rabbis  had  the  tradi- 
tion that  each  had  married  his  twin  sister,  and  that  this  was  one 
of  the  causes  of  Cain's  jealousy  of  his  brother.  But  there  is  no 
Biblical  basis  at  all  for  this  tradition. 

Vv.   16-24  contain  ancient  material,  for  the  most  part  genealogical 


Cain  and  Abel  75 

in  character,  which  has  absolutely  no  connection  with  the  Cain  and 
Abel  story.  The  picture  of  Cain,  living  with  his  wife  arid  begetting 
children,  and  even  building  the.  "first  city,  and  consequently  dwelling 
among  men,  accords  but  ill  with  the  preceding  picture  of  Cain,  the 
child  of  the  first  pair  of  mortals,  and  the  murderer  of  his  brother, 
who  was  driven  out  by  God  from  association  with  other  men.  It  is 
patent  that  these  verses  come  from  some  different  source.  They 
have  a  decided  cultural  interest  in  that  they  seek  to  account,  in  true 
folkloristic  manner,  for  the  origin  of  three  of  the  most  primitive 
occupations  or  modes  of  life,  viz.  the  nomad  graziers,  musicians, 
and  blacksmiths. 

The  mention  of  just  these  three  occupations,  and  the  silence  of 
the  passage  as  to  all  other  occupations,  are  interesting  and  significant. 
Clearly  the  traditions  recorded  in  these  verses  sprang  from  a  social 
environment  in  which  these  were  the  chief  modes  of  life,  and  other 
occupations  were  either  unknown,  or  of  altogether  minor  importance. 
Unquestionably  this  was  the  desert,  nomad  environment,  from  which, 
we  have  learned,  the  folk-tales  of  the  garden  of  Eden  and  Cain 
and  Abel  stories  also  sprang.  Among  the  Beduins  of  the  Arabian 
Desert,  still  today  as  in  ancient  times,  herding  of  camels,  sheep,  and 
goats  is  the  chief  source  of  livelihood.  Furthermore  they  frequently 
have  clan  or  tribe  bards  or  rhapsodists,  who,  on  every  suitable  oc- 
casion, sing  or  chant  the  heroic  deeds  of  the  tribe.  And  at  frequent 
intervals  there  come  to  them  itinerant  blacksmiths  or  tinkers,  mem- 
bers of  outcast  tribes  of  ill  repute,  who  mend  their  kettles  or  other 
metal  utensils,  or  even  make  new  ones,  in  return  for  food  or 
other  similar  compensation. 

V.  16.  Since,  according  to  this  verse,  the  land  of  Nod  is  to  the 
east  of  Eden,  it  follows  that  here  also  Eden  is  located  in  the  ex- 
treme west;  cf.  note  to  III,  24. 

Vv.  23f.  These  verses  contain  a  fragment  of  a  very  ancient 
poem,  sometimes  known  as  "The  Song  of  the  Sword".  The  meaning 
of  the  verses  is  very  obscure.  Many  interpretations  have  been  sug- 
gested, but  all  purely  hypothetical  and  fanciful,  and  without  the 
slightest  basis  of  fact.  The  verses  probably  refer  to  some  old  tribal 
myth  or  legend  which  has  otherwise  been  lost  entirely. 

V.  26.  'Then  men  began  to  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord"; 
these  words  imply  that  with  the  first  generation  after  creation  the 
true  worship  of  the  God  of  Israel  under  His  own  proper  name 
actually  began.  Other  and  contradictory  accounts  of  the  time  and 
manner  of  the  beginning  of  the  worship  of  the  God  of  Israel  are 
found  in  other  parts  of  the  Bible. 


76  The  Book  of  Genesis 


IV 

THE  FLOOD 

(Genesis  VI-IX) 

Noah  was  in  his  generations  a  man  righteous  and  wholehearted; 
Noah  walked  with  God.  (Genesis  VI,  9.) 

Have  I  any  pleasure  at  all  that  the  wicked  should  die?  saith  the 
Lord  God;  and  not  rather  that  he  should  return  from  his  ways,  and 
live?  (Ezekiel  XVIII,  23.) 

Read  Isaiah  LV,  6-9. 

It  has  been  said  by  eminent  scholars  that  the  thought  of 
a  great  flood  which  once  swept  over  the  entire  earth,  and 
from  which  only  one  human  pair  escaped,  to  become  the 
progenitors  of  a  new  human  race,  is  one  of  the  most  com- 
mon and  universal  motives  of  mythology.  A  great  German 
scholar  has  shown  in  a  well-known  book,1  that  almost  all 
primitive  peoples  had  a  flood-myth  in  some  form  or  other. 
Our  ancestors  were  no  exceptions  to  this  rule.  The  story 
of  the  flood  is  for  many  reasons  one  of  the  most  interesting 
in  the  entire  Bible. 

A  number  of  apparent  difficulties  exist  in  the  Biblical 
narrative.  One  verse  (VI,  19;  cf.,  also  VII,  15),  tells  that 
two  of  every  kind  of  animal  were  brought  into  the  ark, 
while  a  verse  somewhat  later  (VII,  3),  puts  the  number  at 
seven  pairs  of  every  clean,  and  one  pair  of  every  unclean 
animal.  Now  the  flood  is  represented  as  lasting  forty  days 
and  forty  nights  (VII,  12,  17;  VIII,  6),  and  again  as  con- 
tinuing for  exactly  one  year.  Other,  though  not  quite  so 

1  Hermann   Usener,   Die   Sintflutsage. 


The  Flood  ,  77 

obvious,  contradictions  are  also  present.  From  this  it  may 
be  inferred  that  in  ancient  Israel  more  than  one  version  of 
this  flood  story  existed,  just  as  was  the  case  with  other 
Biblical  stories.  The  present  narrative  really  contains  details 
taken  from  more  than  one  of  these  ancient  versions,  and  not 
perfectly  harmonized. 

More  significant  is  the  fact  that  this  story,  like  the  crea- 
tion story  in  Genesis  I,  has  a  striking  parallel  in  Babylonian 
literature.  The  Babylonian  story  told  that  one  of  the  great 
gods,  Ellil,  enraged  at  the  inhabitants  of  a  certain  city,  de- 
termined to  destroy  them  with  a  flood.  But  another  god, 
Ea,  revealed  the  impending  doom  to  Ut-Napishtim,  and  bade 
him,  in  preparation  for  the  flood,  build  a  ship,  the  exact 
dimensions  of  which  he  disclosed  unto  him.  Just  before  the 
flood  began,  Ut-Napishtim  led  into  the  ship  all  the  members 
of  his  family,  sailors  to  work  the  ship,  and  animals  of  every 
kind.  Ea  himself  closed  up  the  ship  after  all  had  entered. 
The  storm  raged  for  six  days,  so  frightfully  that  all  living 
creatures  perished,  and  even  the  gods  were  terrified  at  the 
destruction  they  had  caused,  and  which  they  were  powerless 
to  end.  But  on  the  seventh  day  all  was  still ;  the  ship  floated 
alone  upon  the  face  of  the  water.  After  twenty-four  hours 
a  little  island  appeared.  The  ship  grounded  fast  upon  the 
top  of  a  high  mountain.  After  seven  days  a  dove  was  sent 
forth,  but  soon  returned.  Later  a  swallow  was  sent  forth, 
but  it,  too,  returned.  At  last  a  raven  was  sent  forth,  and 
did  not  return.  Thereupon  Ut-Napishtim  led  forth  all  the 
occupants  of  the  ship.  A  sacrifice  was  offered,  about  which 
the  gods  swarmed  greedily  like  flies.  Ellil  was  pacified  by 
the  other  gods,  and  finally  bestowed  upon  Ut-Napishtim  and 
his  wife  the  blessing  of  eternal  life. 

The  similarity  between  this  Babylonian  myth  and  our 
Biblical  story  is  striking.  Clearly  one  is  borrowed  from  the 
other.  And  since  the  Babylonian  story  is  the  older,  it  must 


78  The  Book  of  Genesis 

be  that  our  Biblical  story  is  borrowed  from  the  Babylonian 
original. 


The   Babylonian   Flood   Story 

Actually,  however,  the  points  of  similarity  between  the 
original  Babylonian  version  of  the  flood-story  and  the  Biblical 
version  are  of  less  significance  than  the  numerous  points  of 
difference.  Since  the  Biblical  story  is  borrowed  from  the 
Babylonian,  these  points  of  difference  were  more  probably 
purposed  than  accidental.  They  must  have  been  introduced 
into  the  Biblical  story  deliberately,  in  order  that  it  might 
voice  certain  vital  and  fundamental  Jewish  truths. 

The  first  essential  difference  is  in  the  conception  of  the 
Deity.  The  Babylonian  gods  are  many ;  they  are  depicted  in 
gross  and  anthropomorphic  manner;  they  are  subject  to  out- 
bursts of  anger,  are  powerless  to  control  the  storm  which 
they  have  caused,  and  are  even  terrified  by  it ;  too  late  they 
regret  the  evil  consequences  of  their  ill-considered  act ;  and 
they  swarm  like  flies  greedily  about  the  sacrifice.  In  direct 


The  Flood  79 

and  significant  contrast,  the  God  of  the  Bible  is  only  one, 
supreme,  all-wise  and  all-powerful,  sublime  and  spiritual. 
In  the  Babylonian  story  the  ship  is  manned  by  sailors  and 
helmsman.  But  in  the  Biblical  story  the  ark  floats  along, 
cared  for  only  by  God,  and  in  no  danger  of  foundering, 
guided  by  His  providence,  that  at  last  His  wise  and  loving 
purpose  might  be  fulfilled. 

But  one  difference  is  significant  above  all  others.  The 
flood  is  brought  by  the  Babylonian  gods  and  all  mankind  is 
destroyed  merely  because  one  god  has  been  personally  an- 
gered by  the  people  of  a  single  city.  Only  through  the  favor 
of  another  god  do  one  man  and  those  with  him  escape.  In 
marked  contrast,  the  Biblical  story  depicts  the  increasing 
sinfulness  of  mankind,  despite  God's  purpose  of  good.  Only 
after  waiting  patiently  for  ten  long  generations  in  the  hope 
that  mankind  would  repent  of  its  evil,  and  only  when,  at 
last,  convinced  of  the  total  and  hopeless  corruption  of  the 
human  race,  does  God,  in  sorrow,  determine  upon  their  de- 
struction. But  the  one  man  who  does  not  merit  the  common 
fate,  him  alone  with  his  family  God  saves. 

"Noah  was  in  his  generation  a  man  righteous  and  whole- 
hearted; Noah  walked  with  God."  Thus  the  Bible  charac- 
terizes the  hero  of  the  flood-story,  and  at  the  same  time 
contrasts  him  with  the  rest  of  his  generation.  "Noah  walked 
with  God".  In  this  simple  phrase  the  entire  Jewish  scheme 
of  life  is  summed  up.  God  has  placed  us  here  on  earth,  we 
have  learned,  for  a  definite  purpose.  He  has  endowed  us 
with  rich  gifts  and  powers,  and  has  bidden  us  use  these  to 
fulfil  the  purpose  of  existence.  If  we  obey,  then  we  live 
as  God  has  meant  that  we  should  live,  and  mankind  is 
blessed  by  our  living.  Such  living  the  Bible  calls  walking 
with  God,  treading  the  path  of  life  which  He  has  ordained. 

To  turn  away  from  God  and  to  cease  to  walk  with  Him 
and  in  His  path  is  rebellion  against  God  and  defiance  of  His 
law  of  life.  The  Hebrew  verb  for  to  turn  away  is  sur. 


80  The  Book  of  Genesis 

The  noun  derived  from  this  verb-stem,  sarah,  means  rebel- 
lion, iniquity,  sin.  But  this  is  not  the  end.  Though  we  may 
have  departed  far  from  God  and  His  way,  and  be  sunk 
deeply  in  sin,  still  we  are  not  hopelessly  lost.  We  can  still 
return  to  God,  and  once  more  tread  His  path  and  walk  -with 
Him.  The  Hebrew  verb  for  to  return  is  slmv,  and  the 
derivative  noun,  fshvtvah,  means  returning  or  repentance. 
And  that,  Judaism  teaches,  is  all  that  repentance  is,  a  return- 
ing to  God,  seeking  Him  out  in  deep  contrition,  and  begin- 
ning once  more  to  walk  with  Him,  with  the  firm  resolve  in 
our  hearts  never  again  to  turn  away  from  His  path.  No 
matter  how  far  we  may  have  strayed,  we  can  still  return  to 
Him  if  we  will.  Ever  His  pardoning  love  reaches  out  to  us, 
for  He  is  a  God  of  justice,  yes,  but  a  God  whose  justice  is" 
tempered  by  love  and  mercy  and  the  desire,  not  to  punish, 
but  to  forgive.  As  the  prophet  Ezekiel  said,  "Have  I  any 
pleasure  at  all  that  the  wicked  should  die  ?  saith  the  Lord ; 
and  not  rather  that  he  should  return  from  his  ways,  and 
live?" 

Such  is  our  Jewish  teaching  of  life  and  sin  and  repentance 
and  divine  forgiveness,  based  upon  our  knowledge  of  God's 
goodness  and  love,  His  all-wise  purpose  for  men,  and  His 
absolute  justice  in  dealing  with  men.  This  is  the  fundamental 
Jewish  truth  which  the  Biblical  flood-story  was  made  to 
convey,  and  which  shows  its  vast  spiritual  superiority  over 
its  Babylonian  original. 

Beautifully  illustrating  God's  love  and  His  desire  for  the 
repentance,  rather  than  the  death,  of  His  sinning  children, 
the  rabbis  amplified  the  Biblical  story  by  relating  that  God 
had  announced  the  flood  to  Noah  one  hundred  and  twenty 
years  before  it  began.  So  Noah,  at  God's  bidding,  planted 
a  forest,  from  which  in  time  he  might  build  the  ark.  When 
the  people  gathered  round-  and  asked  what  he  was  doing, 
Noah  told  of  the  impending  flood  and  urged  them  to  repent 
and  live  righteous  lives,  that  God  might  forgive  them,  and 


The  Flood  81 

perhaps  not  bring  the  flood;  for  God  is  truly,  as  the  Bible 
says,  "merciful  and  gracious,  long-suffering,  and  abundant  in 
goodness  and  truth."  (Exodus  XXXIV,  6.)  But  they  only 
laughed  at  Noah  and  his  words.  Years  passed  and  the  trees 
grew  big  and  strong.  Noah  continued  to  urge  the  people  to 
repent,  but  still  they  laughed  and  mocked  and  persisted  in 
their  evil  ways.  At  last  Noah  began  to  cut  down  the  trees 
and  build  the  ark.  With  only  his  three  sons  to  help  he 
labored  on,  believing  firmly  in  God's  word,  while  the  people 
scoffed  more  loudly  than  ever.  Soon  the  ark  was  completed 
and  Noah  and  his  family  and  the  animals  entered.  Seven 
more  days  God  allowed,  as  the  final  opportunity  for  the 
people  to  repent.  Though  the  clouds  were  dark  and  lightning 
flashed,  they  refused  to  believe  or  to  cease  from  their  sinful 
conduct.  But  when  the  flood  began  and  the  water  rose 
higher  and  higher,  they  crowded  about  the  ark,  and  in  fear 
and  anguish  declared  that  now  they  believed  and  repented 
and  were  sorry  for  their  past,  and  begged  to  be  taken  in. 
Thus  sinners  do  always  when  the  consequences  of  their  sin 
at  last  come  upon  them.  But  all  in  vain;  God  Himself  had 
closed  up  the  ark,  and  it  was  not  to  be  opened  until  the  flood 
had  ceased.  As  the  waters  rose  higher  and  higher,  the 
people  in  despair  ascended  the  mountains.  Soon,  however, 
the  highest  summits  were  covered  and  all  living  creatures 
without  the  ark  perished,  and  the  race  of  sinners  came  to 
an  end. 

But  the  one  righteous,  man  in  that  generation,  the  one  man 
who  walked  with  God  and  lived  the  life  He  intended  that 
man  should  live,  and  who  tried  by  word  and  example  to 
lead  others  to  righteousness,  him  and  his  family  God  kept 
alive  to  become  the  parents  of  a  new  and  better  and  more 
righteous  race.  With  him  He  established  His  covenant,  and 
sealed  the  covenant  with  His  bow,  the  rainbow  which  shines 
so  beautifully  in  the  sky,  when  the  bright  sun  breaks  through 
and  scatters  the  dark  clouds,  whose  ends  seem  to  rest  upon 


82  The  Book  of  Genesis 

the  earth,  but  whose  arch  spans  God's  heaven.  Thus  the 
rainbow,  which  bridges  heaven  and  earth,  tells  us  that  al- 
though we  live  on  earth,'  we  may  still,  through  righteousness, 
walk  with  God.  It  bids  us  hope  and  rejoice,  for  God's  cove- 
nant is  with  us,  too,  if  only,  like  Noah,  we  strive  to  be 
righteous  and  wholehearted  in  our  generation. 

The  fundamental  Jewish  principles  expressed  in  the  story,  and 
therefore  the  thoughts  to  be  emphasized  in  presenting  it,  are  ac- 
cordingly, God's  justice  and  love,  the  life  which  He  has  ordained 
that  man  should  live,  the  sin  in  departing  therefrom,  the  evil  and 
sorrowful  consequences  of  sin,  and  the  possibility  of  repentance, 
which  God,  in  His  love,  ever  holds  out  to  man.  True,  these  are 
really  thoughts  and  doctrines  to  be  rightly  comprehended  only  by 
mature  minds.  But  there  is  very  much  in  the  story,  and  in  the 
accompanying  rabbinical  illustration,  which  can  be  brought  home 
convincingly  and  constructively,  even  to  children,  and  which  will 
help  to  lay  a  firm  foundation  of  Jewish  righteousness,  and  teach 
them  to  look  out  upon  life  through  Jewish  eyes,  and  to  face  its 
temptations  and  solve  its  problems  with  the  strong  support  of  Jewish 
character. 

In  presenting  the  story  the  teacher  should  emphasize  its  positive 
lessons.  Something  must,  of  course,  be  said  of  the  sinfulness  of  the 
people  and  of  the  awfulness  of  their  doom,  and  the  children  should 
be  made  to  feel  real  horror  at  the  very  thought  of  sin.  But  much 
more  emphasis  should  be  laid  upon  the  positive  ideas  of  God's  wise 
and  loving  purpose  for  man,  Noah's  righteousness  and  God's  pleasure 
therein,  God's  covenant,  and  the  promise  of  the  new  and  purified 
human  race. 

The  teacher  should  dwell  but  little  upon  such  inconsequential  and 
prosaic  details  as  the  dimensions  of  the  ark,  and  the  manner  in  which 
the  animals  came  into  it.  She  must  feel*  the  poetic  and  spiritual  con- 
tent of  the  story,  and  bring  the  children  to  feel  this  with  her.  Some 
incidents  may  well  be  elaborated,  as,  for  example,  the  incident  of  the 
dove  returning  with  the  olive  leaf,  the  almost  universal  symbol  of 
peace,  brotherhood,  cooperation,  and  industry,  the  virtues  which  were 
to  characterize  the  new  race,  in  contrast  to  the  sins  and  vices  of 
the  old,  destroyed  race.  M'any  tales  from  the  rabbis,  illustrating 
these  thoughts  can  be  found  in  the  various  compendia  of  rabbinical 
stories  cited  in  the  bibliography. 

Although  long,   the  story  is   a  unit     It   should,   therefore,   always 


The  Flood  83 

be  presented  completely  in  one  lesson ;  otherwise  it  will  fail  of  its 
purpose.  In  the  succeeding  lesson  or  lessons  the  teacher  can  return 
to  the  story  with  profit,  and  amplify  and  reinterpret  it  in  greater 
detail,  and  with  more  direct  and  wider  application. 

NOTES 

V.  This  chapter  records  the  tradition  that  ten  generations  elapsed 
from  creation  to  the  flood.     This  tradition,  too,  was  borrowed  from 
an    ancient    Babylonian    myth,    which    told    of    ten    successive    kings, 
the  ifirst  men,  who  reigned  in  unbroken  succession   from  creation  to 
the  flood.     The  tenth  and  last  of  these  kings  was  the  hero  of  the 
Babylonian  flood  story,  just  as   Noah,  the  tenth  in  the  Biblical  list, 
was  the  hero  of  the  Biblical  flood  story.     The  names  of  several  of 
these  mythical  Babylonian  kings   seem  to  be  identical  with  some  of 
the  names  in  the  Biblical  list;   this  is   additional  proof  of  the  rela- 
tionship   of    these    two    traditions.      The    Babylonian    myth,    further- 
more, represents  these  kings  as  ruling  for  inordinately  long  periods, 
just   as   the   Biblical   tradition   ascribes   exceeding  length   of   days   to 
each  of  these  pre-diluvian  patriarchs.     For   further  consideration  of 
these  legendary  ages,  cf.  note  to  VI,  3  and  VII,  6.     The  names  of 
the   majority  of  these   patriarchs   here   are  practically   identical  with 
those   given   in   IV,    17-23.     Undoubtedly   these   two   passages    record 
varying  versions  of  one  and  the  same  tradition,  at  one  time  current 
in  ancient  Israel. 

Vv.  21-23  contain  a  fragment  of  an  ancient  Israelite  myth,  of 
which  Enoch  was  the  hero.  The  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  years 
of  his  life  suggest  the  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  days  of  a  solar 
year.  In  all  likelihood  Enoch  was  a  solar  hero,  and  the  Enoch 
story  was  a  solar  myth,  similar  in  many  respects  to  the  solar  myths 
of  other  ancient  peoples.  Later  Jewish  tradition  speculated  quite 
freely  about  this  figure  of  Enoch  and  his  translation  to  heaven. 
Eventually  it  made  Enoch  the  hero  of  one  of  the  earliest,  best  known 
and  most  important  Jewish  apocalyptic  works,  the  Book  of  Enoch 
(cf.  Jewish  Encyclopedia  V,  178ff.).  This  book  represents  Enoch 
as  being  taught  by  the  angels,  after  he  had  been  carried  to  heaven, 
all  the  mysteries  of  heaven  and  earth,  of  time  and  eternity. 

VI,  1-4.     These  verses,   in   their  present  form   and  position,  are 
intended   to    depict   the    increasing    depravity   of    mankind.      Actually 
they  constitute  the  remains  of  an  ancient  myth,  which  must  have  been 
current  in  Israel,  at  a  very  early  period.     This  myth  must  have  told 
of  marriages  of  the  sons  of  the  gods  with  human  maidens,  and  of 


84  The  Book  of  Genesis 

gigantic  offspring  therefrom.  As  v.  4  implies,  these  giants  must 
have  been  famous  for  mighty  deeds.  Of  these  the  ancient  myth 
undoubtedly  told  in  detail.  The  references  remind  forcibly  of  the 
Greek  myth  of  the  Titans.  The  ancient  Israelite  myth  may  well 
have  been  similar  to  that  in  many  respects.  The  ancient  myth,  it  is 
clear,  told  of  many  gods  and  their  offspring.  But  since  this  con- 
ception was  so  diametrically  opposed  to  the  fundamental  principles  of 
later  Jewish  monotheism,  the  ancient  myth  was  allowed  to  gradually 
disappear  from  Jewish  tradition.  We  regret  its  loss,  for  naturally  we 
wish  to  know  as  much  as  possible  of  the  beliefs,  mythology  and 
folklore  of  our  earliest  ancestors.  But  at  least  we  are  grateful  for 
these  few  references,  which  enable  us  to  vaguely  reconstruct  one  of 
the  myths  in  which  our  fathers  must  have  once  delighted. 

V.  3.  Possibly  there  lurks  in  this  verse  some  mythological  idea 
comparable  to  the  Greek  legend  of  the  four  ages,  gold,  silver,  brass 
and  iron,  and  the  reduction  in  each  of  the  span  of  human  life. 
Similarly  the  Bible  tells  that  before  the  flood  the  ages  of  men 
ranged  from  the  seven  hundred  and  seventy-seven  years  of  Lemech 
to  the  nine  hundred  and  sixty-nine  of  Methuselah  (V).  From  the 
fiood  to  Abraham  the  ages  were  reduced  from  the  six  hundred  years 
of  Shem  to  the  one- hundred  and  forty-eight  of  Nahor  (XI,  10-32). 
Abraham  lived  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  years  (XXV,  7), 
Ishmael  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  years  (XXV,  17),  Isaac,  one 
hundred  and  eighty  years  (XXXV,  28),  Jacob,  one  hundred  and 
forty-seven  years  (XLVII,  28),  Joseph,  one  hundred  and  ten  years 
(L,  26),  Moses,  one  hundred  and  twenty  years  (Deuteronomy 
XXXIV,  7),  and  Joshua,  one  hundred  and  ten  years  (Joshua  XXIV, 
29).  By  the  time  of  David,  according  to  Jewish  tradition,  based 
upon  Psalm  XC,  10,  the  limit  of  human  life  had  been  ifixed  by  God 
at  seventy,  or  at  the  most  eighty,  years.  The  implication  of  the 
tradition  is  that  each  reduction  of  the  span  of  life  was  due  to  the 
increasing  sinfulness  of  man. 

V.  4.  Nephilim  means  etymologically,  the  fallen  ones,  or  those 
who  were  cast  down.  Chiefly  upon  the  basis  of  this  etymology  and 
this  legend,  the  tradition  of  the  fallen  angels  who  were  banished 
from  heaven  developed  in  Jewish  lore,  and  passed  thence  into  the 
beliefs  and  literatures  of  many  peoples  and  creeds.  This  tradition 
inspired  Milton's  Paradise  Lost  in  part. 

V.  14.  The  Hebrew  word  tebah,  generally  translated  ark,  really 
means  a  kind  of  box.  The  same  word  is  used  for  the  little  basket  or 
box  in  which  the  babe  Moses  was  placed  (Exodus  II,  2).  The  use 
of  the  word  here  shows  how  altogether  deficient  was  our  ancestors' 


The  Flood  85 

knowledge  of  seafaring.  The  ark  is  hers  represented  as  a  rectangu- 
lar shaped  box,  divided  into  three  stories,  which  floated  with  ex- 
actly half  its  volume  in  the  water  and  half  above.  Cf.  note  to 
VII,  20. 

Gopher  was  apparently  a  kind  of  wood  used  for  building.  The 
pitch  was  used  to  calk  the  seams. 

V.  15.  The  cubit  was  apparently  slightly  less  than  two  feet  in 
length.  Cf.  Jeivish  Encyclopedia,  XII,  483. 

V.  21.  By  "food  that  might  be  eaten,"  is  meant  only  herbs.  Ac- 
cording to  I,  29,  permission  was  at  "first  given  to  men  and  animals 
to  eat  only  herbs.  Not  until  after  the  flood  was  permission  given 
to  eat  flesh,  with  the  restriction  however  that  no  blood  might  be  eaten 
(IX,  3). 

VII,  6.  The  great  age  here  ascribed  to  'Noah,  and  in  V,  to 
the  other  antediluvian  patriarchs,  is  altogether  mythical  and  theologi- 
cal, and  without  the  slightest  historical  basis  (cf.  note  to  VI,  3). 
No  stress  should  be  laid  upon  this,  however,  in  presenting  the  story, 
unless  the  children  ask  whether  these  figures  are  true.  But  in  such 
case  the  teacher  must  not  hesitate  to  give  the  only  correct  answer. 
Under  no  condition  should  the  impression  be  conveyed  that  this  is 
real  history,  or  that  it  can  in  any  way  be  harmonized  with  real 
history. 

V.  11.  According  to  this  verse  and  v.  24  and  VIII,  4,  13,  14, 
the  flood  lasted  just  365  days,  i.  e.  one  solar  year.  A  lunar  year 
consisted  of  approximately  354^  days,  i.  e.  12  x  29^  +  days,  the 
duration  of  one  cycle  of  the  four  phases  of  the  moon.  The  flood 
is  said  to  have  lasted  altogether  365  days,  from  the  17th  of  the 
second  month  of  one  year,  to  the  27th  of  the  same  month  of  the 
next  year.  The  Jewish  calendar  is  reckoned  according  to  the  lunar 
year.  But  since  there  is  a  difference  of  10,  or  more  approximately, 
10^  days  between  a  solar  and  a  lunar  year,  the  Jewish  calendar 
observes  a  leap  year,  consisting  of  one  extra  month  of  twenty-nine 
days,  seven  times  in  every  cycle  of  nineteen  years.  This  makes  pos- 
sible a  very  close  harmonization.  It  may  be  possible  in  this  con- 
nection to  teach  the  children  the  names  of  the  Hebrew  months,  and 
the  order  of  the  festivals. 

The  explanation  of  the  reference  to  the  "springs  of  the  great  deep 
and  the  windows  of  heaven"  will  be  found  in  the  note  to  I,  6.  The 
implication  is  that  the  original  state  of  chaos,  before  the  land  had 
appeared,  as  described  in  Genesis  I,  was  for  the  moment  reestab- 
lished. 

V.  20.     The  tops  of  the  mountains  are  covered  fifteen  cubits  deep, 


86  The  Book  of  Genesis 

i.  e.  just  half  the  entire  depth  of  the  ark  (cf.  VI,  14-15,  and  note). 
The  .author  means  to  say  that  the  waters  were  just  deep  enough 
for  the  ark,  submerged  to  exactly  half  its  depth,  to  float  over  the 
tops  of  the  highest  mountains.  Therefore  at  the  very  moment  when 
the  waters  begin  to  sink,  the  ark  rests  fast  upon  the  summit  of  the 
highest  mountain. 

V.  24.  The  waters  increase  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  days,  then 
run  off  for  one  hundred  and  (fifty  days,  and  sixty-fiive  days  are  al- 
lowed for  the  earth  to  dry. 


Mt.    Ararat   in    Armenia 

VIII,  1.  The  winds  blow  down  upon  the  waters,  and  keep  them 
from  rising  higher. 

V.  3.  Don't  ask  where  the  waters  went  to.  Probably  back  into 
the  subterranean  ocean,  whence  they  were  said  to  have  come.  If 
the  children  ask,  tell  them  that  our  ancestors  probably  imagined  that 
the  waters  ran  off  into  the  ocean,  about  which,  not  being  experienced 
sailors  or  travelers,  they  had  very  vague  and  peculiar  notions. 

V.  4.  Ararat  is  really  a  very  high  mountain  in  Armenia.  Prob- 
ably it  was  the  highest  mountain  known  to  the  ancient  Semites. 
Probably,  too,  our  ancestors  had  no  definite  idea  of  its  location. 
Many  travelers  have  ascended  Ararat  in  search  of  the  remains  of 
the  ark.  Some,  misled  by  vivid,  orthodox  imaginations,  claim  to  have 
found  remains,  or  traces.  But  the  majority  admit  that  there  is  nothing 
there. 


The  Flood  87 

V.  7.  The  statement  that  the  raven  was  sent  forth  first  and  did 
not  return,  is  probably  not  an  integral  part  of  the  story  proper,  but 
must  have  come  from  some  other  version  of  the  myth.  For  if  the 
raven  did  not  return,  Noah  would  presumably  have  at  once  inferred 
that  the  waters  had  already  abated,  just  as  he  did  later  when  the 
dove  did  not  return.  Lest  the  children  ask  this  very  embarrassing 
and  altogether  unnecessary  question,  it  is  better  to  omit  all  refer- 
ence to  the  raven  in  presenting  the  story. 

V,  11.  The  freshly  plucked  olive  leaf  showed  that  the  waters 
had  abated  sufficiently  for  the  olive  trees,  which  do  not  reach  a 
great  height,  and  do  not  flourish  in  high  altitudes,  to  be  above  water, 
and  to  be  fresh  and  green  once  more. 

In  expounding  the  incident  of  the  dove  bringing  back  the  olive 
leaf,  the  rabbis  told  that  this  olive  leaf  came  from  out  the  garden 
of  Eden.  For  in  God's  mercy  the  gates  of  Paradise  had  been  opened 
to  the  dove,  and  she  had  been  free  to  pluck  whatever  she  wished. 
And  the  wise  rabbis  asked,  "If  that  were  so,  why  then,  did  she  not 
pluck  something  sweet  and  fragrant  and  precious,  rather  than  the 
bitter,  worthless  olive  leaf?"  But  questions  like  this  they  asked 
only  to  answer  them  themselves  in  their  wisdom.  And  so  they  said, 
"She  plucked  the  bitter  olive  leaf  and  brought  it  to  Noah,  to  show 
him  that  better  far  is  the  bitter  which  cometh  from  God  than  the 
sweet  and  fragrant  which  come  only  from  man". 

V.  12.  That  the  dove  did  not  return,  showed  that  she  could  feed 
and  care  for  herself,  and  consequently  that  the  waters  had  com- 
pletely run  off. 

V.  22.  The  blessing  implied  in  this  Terse  is  that  the  orderly 
course  of  nature  and  of  life  shall  never  be  interrupted  again  in  order 
to  punish  mankind  for  whatever  sins  it  might  commit  in  the  future. 

IX,  1-2.  First  God  renews  for  Noah  and  his  posterity  the  original 
blessing  of  f ruitfulness,  spoken  over  mankind  at  creation ;  cf .  I,  28. 

V.  3.     Cf.  note  to  VI,  21. 

V.  4.  The  ancient  conception  •  was  that  the  soul,  and  hence  the 
life,  dwelt  in  the  blood  (cf.  IV,  10).  Therefore  the  blood  might  not 
be  eaten,  for  that  would  be  equivalent  to  eating  the  actual  life  and 
soul  of  the  animal.  This  is  the  basis  of  the  old  Jewish  custom  of 
slaughtering  animals  by  cutting  their  throats,  in  order  that  all  the 
blood  might  flow  forth  from  the  veins  and  .arteries,  and  of  carefully 
salting  meat  before  it  is  cooked,  in  order  to  draw  out  all  the  re- 
maining blood.  In  this  way  the  command,  not  to  eat  the  blood,  is 
kept  most  punctiliously. 

V.  6.     This  verse  seems  to  justify  capital  punishment  for  murder. 

V.  9.     The  fulfillment  of  the  promise  of  the  covenant  in  VI,  18. 


88  The  Book  of  Generis 

V.  13.  The  rainbow  is  called  God's  bow.  Probably  this  implied 
that  the  lightning  was  conceived  of  as  His  arrows  shot  from  His 
bow.  A  vague,  mythological  conception  seems  to  underlie  all  this. 

The  rainbow  has  played  an  important  role  in  mythology,  as  is 
shown  by  the  Greek  legend  of  Iris,  and  the  Scandinavian  conception 
of  the  rainbow  as  the  bridge  to  Walhalla,  the  abode  of  the  gods. 

Vv.  20-27.  These  verses  have  no  connection  at  all  with  the 
flood  story.  Instead,  much  after  the  manner  of  IV,  17-26,  they  tell 
that  Noah  was  the  first  man  to  plant  a  vineyard  and  to  discover, 
through  shameful  experience  the  nature  and  evil  qualities  of  wine. 
It  is,  of  course,  a  typical  folk-lore  motive.  On  the  basis  of  this 
Biblical  tradition  the  rabbis  conceived  of  the  following  interesting 
and  suggestive  story.  They  told  that  when  Adam  was  driven  forth 
from  Eden,  he  carried  with  him  a  shoot  of  the  vine  which  grew  in 
the  garden.  Noah  found  this  and  determined  to  plant  it.  He  was 
assisted  in  this  task  by  none  other  than  Satan  himself.  But  before 
actually  beginning  the  work,  Satan  first  slaughtered  in  succession  a 
lamb,  a  lion,  a  pig  and  a  monkey  and  let  their  blood  flow  over  the 
vine.  When  Noah  asked  what  was  the  significance  of  this,  Satan 
answered  that  each  of  these  four  animals  symbolized  the  qualities 
of  the  vine.  Before  man  drinks  of  its  fruit  he  is  innocent  as  a 
lamb.  If  he  drinks  of  it  in  moderation  he  becomes  strong  and  bold, 
like  a  lion.  If  he  drinks  too  much,  however,  he  becomes  like  a  pig 
in  thought  and  act.  And  if  he  drinks  to  excess  and  becomes  intoxi- 
cated, he  acts  like  a  monkey,  not  knowing  what  he  does,  but  be- 
having in  silly  and  foolish  manner,  making  himself  the  object  of  the 
raillery  and  contempt  of  all,  and  bringing  shame  upon  himself,  even 
as  Noah  did. 

Vv.  25-27  are  poetic  in  character.  They  attempt  to  describe  the 
political  and  economic  relations  of  the  three  different  groups  of 
peoples  known  to  ancient  Israel.  They  also  account  for  the  condition 
of  subordination  and  practical  servitude  of  the  remnant  of  the 
original  Canaanite  inhabitants  of  Palestine  after  the  Israelite  con- 
quest; cf.  Joshua  IX. 

X.  Upon  the  basis  of  this  chapter  the  Caucasian  race  has  been 
divided  by  scholars  into  three  ethnic  groups,  named  after  the  three 
traditional  sons  of  Noah,  the  Semitic,  the  Hamitic  and  the  Japhitic 
or  Indo-Germanic,  as  it  is  more  commonly  called.  This  classifica- 
tion is  more  convenient  than  exact  and  scientific.  We  know  that  the 
Sabaeans  (Sheba)  and  the  Ethiopians  (Cush),  which  vv.  6-7  in- 
clude among  the  Hamites,  really  belonged  to  the  Semitic  group.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  Elamites  and  Lydians  were  not  Semites,  de- 
spite the  statement  of  v.  22.  Israel  is,  of  course,  a  Semitic  people. 


"The  Tower  of  Babel  89 


THE  TOWER  OF  BABEL 

(Genesis  XI,  1-9) 

Let  us  make  a  name.      (Genesis   XI,  4.) 

A  good  name  is  rather  to  be  chosen  than  great  riches.  (Pro- 
verbs XXII,  1.) 

Read   Mitfah   IV,   1-4. 

If  the  entire  human  race  were  descended  from  one  man, 
as  the  Bible  tells,  and  as  many  people  still  believe,  how  did 
it  come  to  be  divided  into  separate  peoples  and  nations,  and 
how  did  these  come  to  speak  different  languages?  These 
are  interesting  questions,  which  science  is  still  asking  today. 
This  little  story  of  the  Tower  of  Babel  contains  what  our 
ancestors  conceived  to  be  a  satisfactory  answer  to  these  ques- 
tions. The  answer  is,  of  course,  in  the  form  of  a  charming 
folk-tale.  For,  naturally,  our  ancestors  knew  nothing  of 
science,  and  could  not  study  these  problems  scientifically  nor 
give  a  scientific  answer.  But  we  are  more  thankful  for  this 
beautiful  folk-tale,  with  its  wealth  of  inspiring  thought  and 
spiritual  truth,  than  we  would  have  been  for  the  most  scien- 
tific and  correct  answer  to  these  questions  that  might  ever 
be  given.  In  studying  our  Bible,  we  seek  not  natural  science, 
but  thoughts  and  knowledge  of  God  and  of  the  life  He  has 
meant  that  mankind  should  live.  Of  these  this  story  is  full. 

The  rabbis  of  old  taught  that  for  a  long  time  after  the 
flood,  mankind  lived  happily  together,  in  peace  and  harmony 
and  love.  Then  they  were  only  one  people  and  spoke  only 
one  language.  This  language,  the  first  language  ever  spoken, 


90  The  Book  of  Genesis 

the  language  which  even  God  and  the  angels  used,  so  uur 
fathers  told,  was  Hebrew.  Because  of  this,  and  also  because 
our  Bible  was  written  in  it,  they  called  this  language  rev- 
erently the  I'slwn  hakkodesh,  "the  holy  language",  or  "the 
language  of  God".  Many  people  today,  who  are  not  even 
Jews,  are  happy  to  study  and  to  know  Hebrew.  And  surely 
we  Jews  ourselves  should  be  eager  to  know  as  much  as 
possible  of  this  beautiful  and  holy  language  of  our  fathers. 

In  time,  as  mankind  increased  in  numbers,  a  false  am- 
bition to  make  a  name  for  themselves,  seized  them.  They 
began  to  build  a  great  city  and  a  tower  so  high  that  it  would 
reach  up  to  heaven,  for  they  thought  that  thus  they  might 
get  up  to  God.  They  labored  on  ceaselessly,  and  at  last 
the  city  was  finished,  and  the  tower  was  rising  higher  and 
higher.  But  the  higher  the  tower  rose,  so  the  wise  rabbis 
told,  the  more  the  old  spirit  of  love,  harmony  and  peace 
disappeared.  They  were  so  eager  to  finish  their  task  and 
win  their  great  name,  that  they  ceased  to  care  for  each  other. 
If  a  man  fell  from  the  tower  and  was  killed,  no  one  grieved, 
for  there  were  plenty  more  men,  and  they  could  not  take 
time  to  stop.  But  if,  perchance,  a  brick  fell  to  the  ground, 
then  they  grieved  exceedingly,  for  some  one  must  climb  down 
to  pick  up  the  brick,  since  it  was  needed  in  building,  and 
thus  much  valuable  time  was  lost.  Because  of  their  selfish 
ambition  and  desire  a  brick  now  seemed  to  them  more 
precious  than  a  human  life.  Thus  they  came  to  put  a  false 
value  upon  things,  and  to  misunderstand  the  purpose  of  life. 
Small  wonder,  therefore,  that  God  was  displeased,  and  de- 
termined to  put  an  end  to  this  state  of  things.  So  mankind 
was  scattered  over  the  whole  earth,  and  came  to  form  sep- 
arate peoples  and  to  speak  different  languages. 

But  at  this  very  same  moment,  so  the  Bible  implies,  and 
so  the  rabbis  also  taught,  God  determined  to  create  one 
people  as  His  very  own,  who  should  stand  nearer  to  Him 
than  any  other,  and  should  speak  His  own  holy  language, 


The  Tower  of  Babel  91 

Hebrew.  This  people  was  Israel.  But  Israel  was  not  to  be 
God's  chosen  people,  merely  that  God  might  love  it  better 
than  all  other  peoples,  and  bestow  upon  it  3  larger  share  of 
favor  and  blessing.  Israel  was  to  be  God's  servant  and 
messenger  unto  mankind,  charged  with  the  task  of  teaching 
all  the  world  about  God,  and  His  life  of  peace  and  brotherly 
love  and  true  worship.  For  this  reason  God  taught  Israel 
first  the  knowledge  of  Himself,  and  revealed  to  it  His  law. 
And  if  Israel,  in  turn,  teaches  this  knowledge  truly  to  man- 
kind, and  exemplifies  by  its  life,  by  the  life  of  every  single 
Jew,  the  way  in  which  God  wants  all  mankind  to  live,  then 
at  last  mankind  will  learn  this  knowledge,  and  come  to  live 
in  accordance  with  God's  will.  Then  once  more,  through 
Israel,  peace  and  happiness  and  love  will  reign  throughout 
the  world.  In  accordance  with  His  promise,  instead  of 
bringing  another  flood  to  destroy  mankind  when  they  became 
wicked,  God  now  prepared  to  create  Israel,  to  teach  men  the 
true  way  to  live,  and  to  bring  mankind  back  to  the  right 
path,  and  thus  save  them  from  the  evil  consequences  of 
their  sin.  And  in  time,  through  Israel  the  true  unity  of  the 
human  race  will  be  once  more  restored,  the  unity  which  will 
rest  upon  a  stronger  and  more  enduring  basis  than  consid- 
erations of  mere  common  language  and  dwelling  together, 
the  unity  of  God's  spirit  in  all  men,  which  binds  them  to- 
gether as  one  family,  brothers,  God's  children,  created  in 
His  image,  and  fills  them  with  the  sincere  desire  to  walk  in 
His  way  and  to  do  His  will.  In  the  very  next  lesson  we 
shall  learn  of  God's  call  of  Israel  for  this  glorious  mission. 
Another  beautiful  thought,  too,  is  contained  in  this  story. 
The  people  imagined  that  by  building  a  high  tower  they 
could  actually  get  up  to  God,  and  thus  make  for  themselves 
a  name  which  would  never  perish.  But  they  failed.  Many 
people  still  have  ambitions  like  <this.  They  say  to  themselves, 
"I  will  make  myself  famous,  so  that  my  name  shall  be  on 
every  tongue,  and  people  will  call  me  'Great'  ".  Others  say, 


92  The  Book  of  Genesis 

"I  will  live  a  good  life,  free  from  all  sin,  in  order  that  at 
last  I  may  get  up  to  God".  Perhaps,  in  order  that  they  may 
not  sin,  they  go  off  and  live  by  themselves,  away  from  every- 
body else.  But  they  always  fail.  Why?  Have  you  ever, 
upon  some  beautiful,  starry  night,  looked  at  the  constellation 
known  as  the  Great  Bear,  or  the  Dipper?  Six  stars  you 
can  see  very  plainly.  But  one  star,  the  one  which  joins  the 
handle  to  the  cup,  is  not  easily  seen.  You  know  it  is  there; 
but  when  you  look  at  it  directly  you  can  not  see  it.  But 
turn  your  gaze  slightly,  and  look  at  one  of  the  other  stars 
nearby,  and  then,  indirectly,  you  see  the  star  you  have  been 
seeking,  shining  out  as  brightly  and  beautifully  as  the  rest. 
Just  so  it  is  with  consciously  trying  to  be  great  and  to  be 
good  and  to  make  a  name  for  ourselves.  With  only  this 
one  purpose  and  this  one  ambition  we  can  never  succeed. 
We  can  never  become  great  just  by  working  to  be  great,  for 
this  is  a  selfish  end,  and  no  one  can  become  great  by  being 
selfish.  No  one  ever  deserved  to  be  called  great  merely 
because  of  what  he  did  for  himself.  Only  those  men  and 
women  have  been  considered  truly  great  by  the  world,  who 
have  found  some  great  and  good  work  to  do,  some  work 
entirely  unselfish,  whose  only  purpose  is  to  help  others  and 
to  make  them  better  and  happier.  And  they  have  done  this 
work,  thinking  only  of  the  good  and  happiness  they  are 
bringing  to  others,  and  never - of  themselves  or  that  they 
may  be  called  great.  Thus  these  noble  men  and  women  do 
much  good  and  bring  much  happiness  and  blessing,  until  at 
last  the  world  begins  to  call  them  "Great",  or  even  better, 
"Good".  Thus,  and  thus  alone,  do  they  make  a  name  for 
themselves.  But  such  a  name  is  the  finest  reward  which 
one  can  get,  for  it  will  never  die;  it  lives  on  and  on,  even 
after  we  are  no  more,  and  mankind  honors  and  loves  our 
memory  long,  long  after  we 'have  passed  away.  Therefore 
the  Bible  says  truly, 


The  Tower  of  Babel  93 

The  memory  of  the  righteous  shall  be  for  a  blessing  (Proverbs 
X,  7). 

and  again, 

A  good  name  is   rather  to  be  chosen  than  great  riches. 

And  in  the  same  spirit  the  rabbis  taught  that  the  great  man 
needs  no  tombstone  to  cause  his  name  to  be  remembered. 
His  wise  words  and  his  deeds  of  loving-kindness  are  his 
lasting  monument.  And  they  also  said,  "There  are  three 
crowns,  the  crown  of  the  Torah,  the  crown  of  the  priest- 
hood, and  the  crown  of  royalty;  but  the  crown  of  a  good 
name  surpasses  them  all". 

And  this  story  says  even  more,  that  we  can  not  get  up 
to  God  merely  by  trying  to  get  there,  by  saying,  "I  will  do 
nothing  but  think  of  God  and  pray  to  him  day  and  night". 
For  this  would  mean  thinking  only  of  self  and  one's  own 
desires,  and  not  of  others.  It  would  be  just  like  the  people 
who  did  not  care  if  a  man  fell  from  the  tower  and  was 
killed,  but  grieved  if  a  brick  fell  down.  Even  the  desire  to 
get  up  to  God  becomes  selfish  and  wicked,  when  we  think 
only  of  self.  Surely  God  did  not  intend  that  we  should 
live  in  this  way.  Of  course  we  must  think  of  God  a  great 
deal,  and  pray  to  him  for  help  and  strength  to  do  right,  and 
thank  Him  for  all  the  happiness  and  blessing  He  bestows 
upon  us  every  day.  But  we  must  also  do  the  work  which 
He  has  intended  us  to  do,  and  particularly  the  work  which 
He  has  chosen  Israel  to  do.  By  our  words,  and  even  more, 
by  our  lives,  we  must  teach  the  world  all  that  God's  life  on 
earth  means,  and  thus  help  all  men  to  live  better  and  nobler. 
We  can  get  up  to  God  ourselves  only  by  helping  others, 
too,  to  get  there.  God  does  not  want  that  only  a  few,  but 
that  all  His  children,  whom  He  loves  equally,  should  come 
close  to  Him.  We  can  not  be  truly  good  just  by  going  off 
by  ourselves  and  never  doing  wrong  Such  lives  are  alto- 
gether useless  and  wasted,  and  miss  entirely  the  purpose  for 


94  The  Book  of  Genesis 

which  God  has  created  them.  Man  is  a  social  being,  Judaism 
teaches,  and  must  live  in  the  world,  among  his  brothers  and 
for  his  brothers,  to  realize  the  purpose  of  existence.  Being 
good  means  not  only  doing  no  wrong,  but  also,  and  even 
more,  doing  much  that  is  right.  We  can  do  this  right  only 
by  helping  others,  and  never  thinking  of  ourselves  and  the 
reward  we  may  get.  We  work  not  for  the  reward,  but  for 
the  good  we  can  do  and  the  happiness  we  can  bring.  As 
one  of  the  wise  teachers  of  old  used  to  say,  "Be  not  as 
servants  who  serve  the  Master  in  order  to  receive  reward, 
but  be  as  servants  who  serve  the  Master  not  in  order  to  re- 
ceive reward;  and  let  the  fear  of  God  be  upon  you." 

With  this  story  of  the  Tower  of  Babel  the  first  group  of 
stories  of  Genesis  comes  to  an  end.  As  was  stated  in  the 
Introduction,  they  are  decidedly  universalistic  in  character. 
They  deal  primarily  with  the  question  of  the  relation  of  all 
peoples  whom  God  has  created  to  Him,  the  one,  universal 
God  of  all  mankind.  A  logical  and  systematic  unfolding  of 
this  general  theme  can  be  readily  perceived.  From  the 
fundamental  concept  of  the  creation  of  the  universe  by  God 
for  a  definite  purpose  of  good,  and  the  institution  by  Him 
of  the  two  complimentary  and  proportionate  phases  of 
human  life,  work  and  rest,  the  theme  advances  to  a  more 
detailed  consideration  of  the  specific  purpose  of  the  creation 
and  existence  of  man,  and  of  the  peculiar  nature  of  man  as 
fashioned  by  God.  The  Paradise  story  teaches  that  man  is 
possessed  of  a  divine  as  well  as  of  an  earthly  nature;  that 
right  living  means  barkening  to  the  call  of  the  divine  within, 
and  by  choosing  the  good  and  using  the  gifts  which  God  has 
bestowed  upon  us  rightly  and  for  their  destined  end,  to 
become  co-laborers  with  God  in  the  exalted  task  of  realizing 
the  purpose  of  good  for  which  this  universe  was  created. 
But  why  should  man  labor  thus,  ofttimes  painfully  and  with 
great  sacrifice?  The  answer,  suggested  by  the  Cain  and 
Abel  story,  is  because  we  are  our  brothers'  keepers,  because 


The  Tower  of  Babel  95 

man  is  a  social  being,  has  been  created  by  God  not  to  seek 
his  own  selfish  ends,  but  to  live  with  his  fellowmen,  his 
brothers,  and  share  with  them  the  general  responsibility,  and 
labor  with  them  for  the  common  good.  But,  since  man  is 
endowed  with  the  power  to  choose  between  right  and  wrong, 
what  happens  if  man  chooses  the  wrong,  and  not  only  refuses 
to  apply  his  powers  and  gifts  to  their  appointed  uses,  but 
even  applies  them  deliberately  to  base  uses?  The  flood  story 
answers  that  man  is  responsible  to  God  for  the  good  or  evil 
of  his  life,  and  that  God  punishes  the  evil  even  as  He 
rewards  the  good,  for-He  is  primarily  a  God  of  justice;  but 
His  justice  is  tempered  by  mercy;  therefore  He  punishes 
only  reluctantly  and  late,  and  constantly  holds  out  to  man 
the  possibility  of  repentance  and  forgiveness  and  renewed 
right  living. 

Thus  far  these  have  been  universal  questions  and  prob- 
lems. They  deal  with  the  relation  of  all  mankind  to  God. 
God  has  created  all  men  for  the  same  purpose  of  good,  and 
demands  from  all  men  certain  positive  standards  of  life  and 
conduct.  There  is  a  universal,  ethical  law  for  all  men,  and 
even,  in  a  way,  also  a  certain  universal  ritual  law,  summed 
up  in  the  proper  observance  of  the  Sabbath  and  in  the  pro- 
hibition of  eating  blood.  All  men  must  conform  to  these 
laws. 

But  what  if  mankind  forgets  these  laws,  or  does  not 
understand  how  to  evaluate  them  correctly?  The  Tower  of 
Babel  story  hints  that  God  has  in  His  wisdom  and  love  pro- 
vided for  even  this  contingency.  He  will  not  destroy  sinning 
mankind;  instead  He  will  raise  up  one  little  people,  His 
chosen  people,  whom  He  will  train  and  discipline  and  pre- 
pare to  receive  a  full  and  concrete  statement  of  His  law  of 
life,  that  this  people  may  first  live  in  accordance  with  this 
law  and  come  to  understand  it  thoroughly,  and  may  then 
undertake  its  appointed  task  of  bringing  the  knowledge  of 
this  law  to  the  rest  of  mankind.  Thereby  all  men  will  come 


96  The  Book  of  Genesis 

to  live  the  life  which  God  has  intended,  and  the  purpose  of 
creation  and  existence  will  be  at  last  fulfilled.  This  little 
people  is  Israel ;  and  through  Israel,  these  stories  of  Genesis, 
and  in  fact  the  entire  Bible,  imply,  that  golden  age  shall  at 
last  be  realized,  so  gloriously  pictured  by  the  inspired 
prophet : 

In  the  end  of  days  it  shall  come  to  pass 

That  the  mountain   of  the  Lord's   house  shall  be  established  as   the 

top  of  the   mountains, 
And  it  shall  be  exalted  above  the  hills; 
And  peoples  shall  flow  unto  it. 
And  many  nations   shall  go  and   say: 

'Come  ye,  and  let  us  go  up  to  the  mountain  of  the  Lord, 
And  to  the  house  .of  the  God  of  Jacob  ; 
And  He  will  teach  us  of  His  ways, 
And  we  will  walk  in  His  paths': 
For  out  of  Zion  shall  go  forth  the  law, 
And  the  word  of  the  Lord  from  Jerusalem. 
And  He  shall  judge  between  many  peoples, 
And  shall  decide  concerning  mighty  nations   afar  off; 
And  they   shall   beat  their   swords   into   plowshares, 
And  their  spears  into  pruning-hooks ; 
Nation  shall  not  lift  up  sword  against  nation, 
Neither  shall  they  learn  war  any  more. 

But  they  shall  sit  every  man  under  his  vine  and  under  his  fig-tree, 
And  none  shall  make  them  afraid; 
For  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  of  hosts  hath  spoken. 

The  next  thought  in  the  logical  unfolding  of  the  general 
theme  is,  of  course,  the  election  and  training  and  disciplining 
of  Israel  for  its  great  mission.  As  was  stated  in  the  Intro- 
duction, this  is  the  thought  of  the  Abraham  cycle  of  stories. 
The  Tower  of  Babel  story,  therefore,  is  not  only  the  con- 
clusion of  the  first  group  of  the  stories  of  Genesis,  but  it 
is  also  the  connecting  link  between  this  first  group  of  stories 
and  the  Abraham  cycle.  With  this  introduction  we  are  pre- 
pared to  consider  the  Abraham  stories  in  detail. 


The  Tower  of  Babel  97 

NOTES 

V.  2.  "From  the  east'',  is  a  very  obscure  expression,  the  exact 
meaning  of  which  can  not  be  determined.  It  seems  to  imply  that  the 
starting-point  of  the  migration  was  not  Ararat,  but  rather  Eden, 
which,  according  to  II,  8,  was  situated  in  the  extreme  east.  Cf. 
the  note  to  III,  24. 

Sliinar,  an  ancient  name   for  the   Mesopotamian  valley. 

V.  3.  In  this  valley  stone  suitable  for  building  purposes  is  very 
scarce.  In  consequence  bricks,  made  of  clay,  and  usually  burned, 
have  always  been  used,  even  in  the  construction  of  the  most  magnifi- 
cent structures  of  the  ancient  Babylonian  empire.  Asphalt  or 
bitumen,  which  is  very  plentiful  in  that  region,  was  quite  commonly 
used  for  mortar  in  such  construction.  This  is  what  is  meant  by 
"slime." 

V.  4.  It  is  frequently  claimed  that  the  reason  for  building  the 
tower  was  that  the  people  might  have  a  place  to  which  to  flee,  should 
God  ever  bring  another  flood.  Actually  there  is  no  such  implication  in 
the  Biblical  story.  There  the  purpose  is  clearly  stated  to  have  been  to 
enable  the  people  to  make  a  name  for  themselves,  and  also  to  prevent 
their  being  scattered  over  the  earth.  Just  how  the  latter  purpose 
would  be  served  is  not  stated.  However,  if  the  teacher  so  wishes, 
it  is  perfectly  legitimate  to  read  the  idea  of  the  tower  as  a  place 
of  refuge  in  case  of  another  flood,  into  the  story,  and  then,  per- 
haps, from  this  point  the  thought  that  despite  the  people's  fear  and 
distrust,  God  kept,  and  always  keeps,  His  promise,  even  though  the 
people  had  become  quite  as  wicked  as  those  who  lived  before  the 
flood.  In  marked  contrast  to  the  faithfulness  of  God,  in  not  bring- 
ing another  flood,  although  the  people,  perhaps,  merited  it,  but  in- 
stead preparing  to  make  Israel  His  servant  for  the  redemption  of 
the  rest  of  mankind,  the  people  themselves  had  forgotten,  or  come 
to  distrust  God's  promise,  and  had  perverted  His  way  and  acted 
faithlessly  and  sinned  against  Him.  The  thoughts  of  God's  faith- 
fulness, and  the  mercy  which  tempers  His  absolute  justice,  are 
fundamental  in  Judaism  and  can  not  be  brought  out  too  clearly  and 
strongly.  This  story  lends  itself  admirably  to  this  purpose,  particu- 
larly when  it  is  contrasted  with  the  picture  of  God's  just  punishment 
in  the  flood  story. 

V.  4.  The  idea  of  a  tower  with  its  top  in  heaven  was  probably 
based  upon  acquaintance  with  ancient  Babylonian  temples.  These 
were  generally  built  in  the  form  of  immense  pyramid  or  step  towers. 
They  must  have  frequently  reached  a  height  of  from  two  to  three 
hundred  feet.  To  the  nomad  of  the  Arabian  Desert  accustomed 


98  The  Book  of  Genesis 

only  to  tents,  or  to  the  lowest  and  meanest  of  hovels,  these  Baby- 
lonian temple  towers  must  have  seemed  indeed  to  reach  up  to 
heaven.  From  this  it  may  perhaps  be  inferred  that  this  legend  of 
the  Tower  of  Babel  had  its  origin  in  the  days  when  Israel  still 
roamed  the  Arabian  Desert  as  nomads,  and  either  itself  beheld,  or 
heard  other  nomads  tell  of  these  lofty  Babylonian  towers. 


Temple  Mound  at  Babylon 

V.  5.  According  to  this  verse  God  dwells  in  heaven,  but  must 
come  down  to  earth  to  see  what  is  going  on  here.  It  is  clear  that 
at  the  time  of  the  composition  of  this  story,  the  conception  of  the 
Deity  had  not  yet  reached  the  full  height  of  its  eventual  spiritual 
development  in  .Israel. 

V.  9.  The  etymology  of  the  name,  Babel,  here  is'  altogether  in- 
correct. The  name  Babel  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  city,  Babylon. 
This  name  was  of  course  much  older  than  the  Hebrew  language,  and 
naturally  can  be  explained  correctly  only  from  the  Babylonian 
language.  In  Babylonian  the  name  probably  means  "gate  of  the  god", 
or  perhaps  better,  "gate  of  heaven".  The  explanation  of  the  name 
here  is,  of  course,  only  a  Hebrew  folk-etymology,  and  entirely  with- 
out historical  basis. 

Vv.  10-32.  The  purpose  of  this  genealogy,  and  of  that  in  V  and 
IX,  28  and  X,  1,  is  to  trace  the  descent  of  Abraham,  the  traditional 
ancestor  of  Israel,  from  Adam,  and  particularly  to  show  thatj 


The  Tower  of  Babel  99 

Abraham,  and  therefore  Israel  also,  were  descended  from  the  very 
first  man  in  the  direct  line  of  the  eldest  son,  and  were,  therefore, 
the  very  elite  of  mankind.  This  was  a  naive  national  conceit  of 
ancient  Israel. 

For  the  ages  of  these  patriarchs  cf.  note  to  VI,  3. 

V.  28.  Ur  was  a  very  ancient  city  in  the  extreme  south  of  the 
Mesopotamian  valley.  It  was  the  seat  of  one  of  the  oldest  Baby- 
lonian kingdoms  and  cultures.  Numerous  interesting  and  valuable 
Babylonian  inscriptions  have  been  unearthed  there. 

For  the  rabbinical  tradition  accounting  for  the  death  of  Haran 
cf.  p.  107. 

V.  31.  Haran  was  an  important  city  in  northwestern  Mesopo- 
tamia, situated  on  the  great  highroad  of  antiquity  which  led  from 
Egypt  and  the  Mediterranean  coast  to  Assyria  and  Babylon. 


100  The  Book  of  Genesis 


VI 

THE  CALL  OF  ABRAHAM 
(Genesis   XII,    1-9) 

Be   thou   a   blessing.      (Genesis    XII,   2.) 

Ye  are  My  witnesses,  saith  the  Lord, 

And  My  servant  whom  I  have  chosen.      (Isaiah  XLIII,   10.) 

Read  Psalm  CV,  1-10. 

With  chapter  XII  begins  the  second  portion  of  the  Book 
of  Genesis,  which  deals  primarily  with  the  questions  of  God's 
relation  with  Israel,  and  Israel's  relation  with  the  rest  of 
mankind.  What  has  been  said  in  the  Introduction  in  regard 
to  this  section  of  "the  Book  (II,  p.  19ff),  need  not  be  re- 
peated. The  reader  is  urged  to  review  that  portion  of  the 
Introduction  carefully,  and  to  keep  the  thoughts  presented 
there  constantly  in  mind,  while  studying  the  Abraham  cycle 
of  stories. 

In  the  last  lesson  we  learned  that  the  rabbis  of  old  told 
that  when,  after  the  flood,  mankind  once  more  became  cor- 
rupt, instead  of  causing  another  flood,  God  determined  to 
bring  into  the  world  one  people,  who  should  be,  or  become, 
wholly  righteous,  and  to  whom,  therefore,  He  might  reveal 
His  law.  This  people  He  would  take  as  His  own,  His 
servant,  charged  to  teach  to  all  the  world  the  real  meaning 
of  His  law  and  His  life,  and  thus  bring  mankind  to  right- 
eousness. Now  we  hear  of  God's  call  to  Abraham,  the 
progenitor  of  this  people,  to  leave  land  and  birthplace  and 
father's  house,  and,  accompanied  only  by  his  faithful  wife, 
Sarah,  and  his  nephew,  Lot,  to  set  out  upon  a  long  and 


The  Call  of  Abratuwt  101 

weary  pilgrimage.  But  while  he  did  not  know  his  journey's 
goal,  nor  the  hardships  in  store  for  him,  still  he  did  know 
full  well  the  reason  for  the  journey  and  the  purpose  for 
which  God  had  called  him.  It  was  that  he  might  be  a  bless- 
ing. As  we  learned  in  the  last  lesson,  being  a  blessing  means 
not  caring  only  for  self,  but  serving  others  and  forgetting 
self  entirely.  God  even  told  him  who  these  others  would 
be.  "In  thee  shall  all  the  families  of  the  earth  be  blessed". 
Unto  all  mankind  he  was  to  bring  blessing. 

Abraham  was  not  the  only  man  whom  God  called.  We 
have  already  learned  that  He  called  Noah.  We  shall  hear 
later  that  He  called  Moses,  Samuel,  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  and 
many  others.  But  this  much  we  can  see  already,  that  when 
God  calls  anyone,  it  is  always  for  something  very  important 
and  very  good,  always  that  the  person  whom  He  calls  may 
be  a  blessing  unto  others. 

Many  people  imagine  that  God  called  people  only  long 
ago,  in  Bible  times,  but  no  longer  calls  people  today.  But 
surely  they  are  mistaken.  God  calls  people  still  today  to  be 
a  blessing,  though  perhaps  not  in  exactly  the  same  way  as 
of  yore.  He  must  have  called  Washington  and  Lincoln,  and 
many  other  noble  men  and  women,  and  they  must  have 
understood  and  obeyed,  just  as  Abraham  did. 

In  fact,  we  may  be  sure  that  He  calls  everybody  in  some 
way,  and  commands  them  to  be  a  blessing.  Only  not  every- 
body hearkens  to  His  call.  The  Bible  tells  of  one  man, 
Jonah,  whom  God  called  to  do  a  certain  task,  which  was 
very  hard,  but  which  would  have  brought  much  good  and 
happiness  to  many  people.  But  Jonah  thought  only  of  him- 
self and  his  own  comfort,  and  of  how  difficult  the  work  was, 
and  what  it  would  cost  him.  So  he  cried  to  run  away  to  a 
distant  country.  But  God  brought  him  back  and  made  him 
do  the  work  anyway.  But  it  could  hardly  have  been  done 
as  well  as  if  Jonah  had  done  it  willingly,  in  the  same  spirit 
as  Abraham. 


The  Book  of  Genesis 


It  is  always  best  to  do  the  work  gladly,  to  hearken  to 
God's  call  at  once,  and  to  answer,  as  we  shall  learn  later 
that  Abraham  answered,  "Here  am  I",  that  is,  "Here  am  I, 
ready  to  do  Thy  work".  There  is  so  much  good  to  be  done, 
and  men  have  so  many  needs  to  serve,  that  God  really  calls 
to  every  one.  He  calls  when  we  are  little  children,  and  He 
continues  to  call  throughout  our  lives,  to  do  His  work?,  what- 
ever good  we  can,  and  thus  be  blessings  to  mankind.  And 
everyone  can  be  like  Abraham,  if  only  he  wills  to  be,  and  is 
not  too  lazy  and  selfish. 

But  God's  call  was  not  to  Abraham  alone.  It  was  not 
just  Abraham,  the  one  man,  through  whom  all  mankind  was 
to  learn  about  God,  and  was  thus  to  be  blessed,  but  the 
whole  people,  Israel,  Abraham's  descendants.  Abraham  is, 
as  was  said  in  the  Introduction,  the  model  and  type  of  all 
Israel.  The  words,  "Be  thou  a  blessing",  were  spoken  quite 
as  much  to  all  Israel,  and  therefore  to  every  single  Jew. 
God  has  called  all  Jews  at  all  times  to  be  a  blessing,  to  live 
pure,  noble  and  holy  lives,  and  to  teach  the  world,  more  by 
example  and  influence  than  by  actual  words,  what  it  means 
to  serve  Him  truly,  and  to  live  as  He  has  meant  that  all 
mankind  should  live. 

Ye   are   My   witnesses,    saith   the   Lord, 
And  My  servant  whom  I  have  chosen. 

These  words  were  spoken  by  God  to  all  Israel  through  one 
of  His  inspired  prophets.  They  express  fully  and  con- 
vincingly the  truth  of  God's  choice  of  Israel  and  the  service 
He  has  called  Israel  to  do. 

Israel's  history,  too,  has  been  like  that  of  Abraham  in 
many  respects.  We  may  be  sure  that  it  was  no  easy  journey 
upon  which  Abraham  had  to  go,  until  he  at  last  found  rest 
and  peace  in  Canaan.  It  meant  the  sacrifice  at  God's  com- 
mand of  all  that  he  then  held  dear,  native  land  and  birth- 
place and  father's  house,  all  the  loved  ones  at  home,  all  the 


The  Call  of  Abraham  103 

companions  of  youth,  all  the  ties  of  affection  and  loyalty, 
which  are  among  the  most  precious  things  in  life.  It  meant, 
also,  journeying  out  at  God's  command,  for  no  apparent 
reason  other  than  that  God  had  commanded,  into  an  unknown 
and  strange  and,  not  improbably,  hostile  world,  with  no  in- 
timation of  how  long  the  journey  would  last,  what  obstacles 
would  have  to  be  overcome,  and  when,  if  ever,  and  where  it 
would  end.  It  was  a  sore  test  of  Abraham's  faith  in  God, 
and  of  his  fitness  for  the  mission  of  blessing  for  which  God 
had  called  him.  And  Abraham  stood  the  test. 

To  Israel,  too,  God's  command  came,  almost  two  thou- 
sand years  ago,  to  leave  country  and  birthplace  in  Palestine, 
and  wander  out  over  the  whole  earth,  not  knowing  whither 
it  was  going,  knowing  only  that  God  had  ordained  this,  in 
order  that  Israel  might  better  be  a  blessing,  and  that  through 
it  all  the  peoples,  among  whom  it  came  to  dwell,  might  learn 
better  the  knowledge  of  God.  Israel,  too,  has  had  to  endure 
much  upon  this  journey.  It  has  suffered  cruel  persecution 
and  misery,  more  almost  than  any  other  people  that  has  ever 
existed.  But  like  Abraham,  it  has  never  allowed  its  suffer- 
ings to  turn  it  from  its  path.  Israel,  too,  was  strong  in  its 
perfect  faith  in  God ;  it  knew  always  that  God  was  watching 
over  it  and  leading  it  on,  and  that  everything  which  befell 
it  was  in  accordance  with  God's  will  and  purpose  for  it.  So 
Israel  has  been  faithful  throughout  the  centuries,  and  still 
today  it  is  doing  God's  work.  And  we  Jews  should  be 
proud  and  happy  that  God  has  called  us  as  His  servants,  to 
bring  blessing  unto  all  mankind.  Even  though  it  is  never 
easy  to  be  a  blessing,  even  though  it  must  cost  us  dear,  as 
it  did  Abraham  and  Moses  and  Jonah,  and  everyone  else 
whom  God  has  ever  called  and  who  has  barkened  to  the 
call,  still  we  should  be  proud  and  happy  that  we  are  Jews. 

The  knights  of  the  middle  ages  had  a  significant  watch- 
word, noblesse  oblige,  "nobility  obligates".  It  meant  that 
they  must  conform  to  a  loftier  standard  of  conduct  and 


104  The  Book  of  Genesis 

morality  than  the  average  person.  Things  which  the  ordi- 
nary man  might  permit  himself  to  do,  were  forbidden  to 
them.  Anything  which  was  the  least  questionable,  or  had 
the  slightest  taint  of  immorality  or  impropriety,  was  beneath 
them.  Whoever  violated  any  of  these  principles,  forfeited 
his  knighthood,  at  least  in  theory,  because  he  had,  by  his 
act  already  forfeited  his  claim  to  nobility. 

So,  too,  with  us  Jews,  "nobility  obligates".  In  a  very 
positive  sense  we  are  the  spiritual  nobility  of  the  world,  and 
ours  is  a  proud  heritage  of  honor.  When  the  ancestors  of 
the  present  great  nations  of  Europe  were  still  roaming  their 
native  woods  as  half-clad  barbarians,  unlearned  in  aught 
save  the  chase  and  war,  our  fathers  had  long  since  accepted 
God's  law,  had  called  the  Bible  into  being,  and  had  entered 
upon  their  glorious  mission  of  justice,  brotherhood,  and  peace, 
which  is  destined  in  time  to  redeem  the  world  from  the 
consequences  of  savage  lust  for  war,  bloodshed,  and  power. 
With  us,  even  more  than  with  the  knights  of  old,  "nobility 
obligates".  We  Jews  may  not  do  many  things  which  others 
still  allow  themselves.  Thanks  to  our  three  thousand  years 
of  spiritual  training,  and  to  the  consequent  deeper  insight 
and  knowledge  which  have  come  to  us,  we  Jews  should  have, 
and  do  have,  a  higher  standard  and  ideal  of  righteous  and 
moral  conduct  than  other  peoples.  This  alone  constitutes 
our  all-sufficient  title  to  the  spiritual  leadership  of  the  world. 
But  what  we  are  not  willing  to  live,  we  can  not  hope  to 
teach.  For  this  reason  with  us,  too,  "nobility  obligates",  or, 
much  better  and  truer,  "knowledge  obligates".  And  he  who 
will  not  live  as  a  Jew  should  live,  and  thereby  do  his  part  in 
the  great  work  of  being  a  blessing,  for  which  God  has  called 
all  Israel,  has  truly  forfeited  his  right  to  the  name  and  privi- 
lege of  being  a  Jew.  But  if  only  every  Jew  will  live  as  Jews 
ought  to  live,  in  accordance  with  the  sublime,  spiritual  teach- 
ings of  Judaism,  then  surely  the  world  must  be  greatly 
blessed  through  us,  and  must  come  in  turn  to  honor  the 


The  Call  of  Abraham  105 

Jewish  people,  and  to  bless  the  name   of   Father  Abraham, 
through  whom  God's  call  first  came  to  Israel. 

Because  Abraham  was  such  a  great  and  good  man,  very 
many  well-known  stories  were  told  about  him  by  the  rabbis, 
in  addition  to  those  recorded  in  the  Bible. 

There  is  a  charming  story,  which  tells  how  Abraham 
came  to  worship  one  God.  In  those  days  people  thought 
that  there  were  many  gods.  They  even  made  images,  or 
idols,  of  wood,  stone  or  metal,  and  foolishly  believed  that 
these  were  gods,  who  had  made  the  universe,  and  had  even 
made  them.  One  evening  Abraham  was  walking  about  just 
as  the  stars  came  out,  one  by  one.  He  was  struck  by  their 
beauty,  and  thought,  "Surely  these  are  the  gods".  But  soon 
the  moon  rose,  full  and  bright,  and  her  radiance  obscured 
the  stars.  Then  Abraham  thought,  "No,  this  must  be  god". 
But  at  last  the  dawn  came  and  the  moon  paled,  and  Abraham 
said,  "Surely  the  moon  can  not  be  god,  for  its  light  has  be- 
come dim  and  weak".  Then  the  sun  rose,  majestic  and 
glorious,  and  Abraham  thought,  "At  last  this  is  the  real 
god".  But  at  evening  the  sun  sank,  an.d  once  more  the  stars 
appeared.  Then  Abraham  thought  long  and  hard ;  and  finally 
the  truth  dawned  upon  him,  that  none  of  these,  beautiful 
though  they  were,  could  be  god;  that  there  must  be  some 
power  of  good  and  love  behind  all  theae,  whose  servants 
they  were  and  whose  law  they  obeyed,  and  this  must  be 
God.  So  he  bowed  down  and  worshipped  the  one  God  of 
all  the  universe.  Then  it  was  that  God  first  called  to  him 
to  be  a  blessing  unto  all  mankind. 

Thereupon  Abraham  began  to  teach  the  knowledge  of  the 
one,  true  God.  At  first  he  sought  to  teach  his  own  fellow- 
townsmen.  But  this  was  a  difficult  task.  His  own  father, 
Terah,  was  a  maker  and  trafficker  of  idols.  One  day  he 
left  Abraham  in  charge  of  the  shop,  while  he  went  out.  A 
man  came  in  to  buy  an  idol.  Abraham  asked  him,  "How 
old  art  thou?"  "Sixty  years  old",  was  the  answer.  "Alas", 


106  The  Book  of  Genesis 

replied  Abraham,  "for  the  man  sixty  years  old,  who  would 
worship  an  image  made  only  yesterday".  Realizing  his  folly, 
the  man  left  the  shop. 

Soon  a  woman  entered  with  a  vessel  of  fine  flour,  which 
she  gave  to  Abraham  and  bade  him  offer  it  as  a  sacrifice  to 
those  gods.  Instead  Abraham  took  a  stick  and  broke  into 
pieces  all  the  idols  except  the  largest.  Into  its  hands  he  put 
the  stick,  and  set  the  vessel  of  fine  flour  before  it.  Soon 
Terah  returned.  When  he  saw  the  damage,  he  stood  aghast 
for  a  moment,  and  then  asked  in  angry  voice,  "Who  did 
this?"  Abraham  answered,  "While  you  were  out  a  woman 
brought  this  vessel  of  fine  flour  as  a  sacrifice  to  all  these 
gods.  But  that  big,  greedy  god  there  wanted  it  all  for  him- 
self, so  he  took  this  stick  and  beat  the  others  and  broke 
them  in  pieces".  At  this  Terah  became  furious.  "What  is 
this  nonsense?  Don't  you  know  that  these  are  only  idols 
of  wood  and  stone,  and  can  not  move?"  Then  Abraham 
calmly  replied,  "Let  your  ears  harken  to  what  your  lips 
have  said.  If  these  are  only  idols  of  wood  and  stone,  which 
can  not  even  move,  then  what  folly  to  think  them  gods  and 
worship  them !" 

Thus  Abraham  taught,  and  gradually  many  began  to  un- 
derstand. At  last  the  news  of  Abraham's  teaching  came  to 
the  ears  of  Nimrod,  the  powerful  and  cruel  king.  He  sent 
for  Abraham  and  said,  "If  thou  wilt  not  worship  the  gods 
which  thy  father  makes,  then  worship  the  fire  as  I  do".' 
But  Abraham  answered,  "Why  not  rather  worship  the  water, 
which  can  quench  the  fire?"  "Very  well",  replied  Nimrod, 
"worship  the  water".  But  Abraham  continued,  "And  why 
not  then  the  clouds  which  contain  the  water ;  and  why  not 
then  the  wind  which  drives  the  clouds  before  it?  No,  I  can 
worship  neither  fire,  nor  water,  nor  clouds,  nor  wind.  I 
can  worship  only  the  one  God,  the  Creator  and  Master  of 
all  these".  At  this  the  king  became  furious/  and  commanded 
that  Abraham  be  cast  into  a  great,  fiery  furnace,  and  that 


The  Call  of  Abraham  107 

his  brother,  Haran,  also  be  cast  into  the  furnace  with  him. 
For  Haran  had  been  half  persuaded  of  the  truth  of  Abra- 
ham's words,  and  this  was  known  to  the  king.  Yet  Haran 
did  not  yet  trust  in  God  completely.  When  Nimrod  had 
commanded  that  Abraham  be  cast  into  the  furnace,  Haran 
had  said  to  himself,  "I  will  wait  and  see  how  this  turns  out. 
If  Abraham's  God  saves  him,  then  I  will  believe  in  Him  and 
worship  Him.  But  if  not,  then  I  will  continue  to  worship 
the  gods  of  my  father". 

So  both  were  cast  into  the  terrible  furnace.  But  the  fire 
could  not  harm  Abraham.  The  ropes  which  bound  him  were 
burned  away,  but  his  flesh  was  not  even  scorched,  and  he 
walked  about  safe  and  unharmed  in  the  midst  of  the  fire. 
After  three  days  the  furnace  was  opened.  To  the  surprise 
of  all,  Abraham  came  forth  uninjured.  He  had  been  saved 
by  God,  because  he  trusted  in  Him.  But  Haran,  who  had 
not  trusted,  and  was  not  ready  to  do  God's  will  at  all  costs, 
him  the  fire  had  consumed  completely.  But  even  this  did 
not  open  the  eyes  of  the  wicked  king.  He  still  sought  Abra- 
ham's life,  and  the  people,  in  terror  of  the  king,  dared  not 
harken  to  Abraham's  words.  At  last  God  commanded  Abra- 
ham to  journey  forth  unto  the  place  which  He  would  show 
him,  and  there  begin  anew  his  task  of  being  a  blessing  to  all 
the  families  of  the  earth. 

These  stories  of  the  rabbis  may  all  be  told  to  the  children  with 
profit.  The  Biblical/story  of  the  call  of  Abraham,  and  particularly 
the  incident  of  Abraham  journeying  on,  not  knowing  whither  he  was 
going,  yet  trusting  implicitly  in  God,  lends  itself  admirably  to  the 
development  of  the  lesson  of  faith  in  God.  Something  of  this 
thought  should  be  presented  here,  and  the  children  should  be  made 
to  understand  that  this  is  the  real  basis  of  the  test  of  Abraham's 
fitness  for  his  mission.  But  this  is  not  yet  the  place  to  present  this 
thought  in  its  full  significance.  That  will  come  later  in  the  discus- 
sion of  the  story  of  the  sacrifice  of  Isaac,  the  climax  of  the  Abraham 
cycle  of  stories.  Meanwhile  the  teacher  should  begin  to  carefully 
lead  up  to  that  wonderful  story  by  pointing  out  in  the  presentation 


108  The  Book  of  Genesis 

of    this    and    the    subsequent    Abraham    stories,    the    various    tests    of 
Abraham's  faith,  and  how  he  withstood  them  all. 

Above  all  this  story  of  the  call  of  Abraham  is  splendidly  adapted 
to  develop  in  the  child  something  of  Jewish  consciousness  and  pride 
r.nd  the  sense  of  the  responsibility  and  privilege  of  being  a  Jew. 
He  must  be  made  to  feel  that  God  called  not  only  Abraham,  but 
also  Israel.  Therefore  He  calls  all  Jews  collectively,  and  him  in- 
dividually, and  lays  upon  him  the  task  of  becoming  a  blessing  in 
the  sense  in  which  Judaism  interprets  these  words.  This  is  the  cen- 
tral theme  in  the  presentation  outlined  above.  The  teacher  should 
lose  no  opportunity  to  return  to,  and  dwell  upon  this  lesson  in  all 
its  manifold  aspects.  For  here  is  summed  up  the  central  purpose 
of  the  Jewish  religious  school,  to  develop  the  Jewish  consciousness 
and  the  sense  of  Jewish  pride  and  responsibility. 

XOTES 

In  this  and  the  subsequent  stories  the  name  Abraham  is  used  in 
preference  to  Abram,  and  Sarah  to  Sarai.  The  incident  of  the 
change  of  the  names  of  Abram  and  Sarai,  recounted  in  XVII,  while 
interesting,  has  for  us,  on  the  whole,  no  deep  religious  significance. 
In  ancient  Israel,  as  among  other  primitive  peoples,  the  name  was 
regarded  as  an  essential  and  inseparable  part  of  a  person  or  thing. 
Until  it  had  received  its  proper  name  it  did  not  fully  exist  (cf.  note 
to  I,  5).  The  change  of  Abram's  name  implies  a  radical  change  in 
his  nature  and  personality,  which  makes  him  virtually  a  new  being 
with  a  larger  and  more  important  role  in  life  and  new  duties  and 
obligations.  He  is  no  longer  the  simple  Abram,  but  the  great 
Abraham,  "the  father  of  a  multitude  of  nations"  (XVII,  5).  Like- 
wise, in  virtue  of  her  correspondingly  exalted  position  Sarai's  name 
is  changed  to  Sarah,  "princess"  -(XVII,  15).  Similarly,  in  recogni- 
tion of  the  great  change  which  had  come  over  him,  by  reason  of 
which  he  had  become  in  truth  a  being  altogether  different  from  what 
he  had  been  before,  Jacob's  name  was  changed  from  Jacob,  "the 
deceiver",  to  Israel,  "the  champion  of  God"  (XXXII,  29  and  cf. 
Lesson  XIX). 

There  is  reason  to  think  that  this  incident  of  the  change  of  name 
was  not  a  part  of  the  original  Abraham  story.  It  is  not  at  all 
essential  to  the  main  narrative.  For  this  reason  we  use  the  name 
Abraham  throughout. 

V.  1.  The  language  here  seems  to  imply  that  Haran  was  re- 
garded by  the  author  of  this  story  as  the  birthplace  of  Abraham. 
This,  of  course  contradicts  the  statement  of  XI,  28-31  that  Abraham 


The  Call  of  Abraham 


109 


was  born  in  Ur  of  the  Chaldeans.  1  lowever,  we  have  had  similar 
contradictions  in  the  Biblical  narrative  before,  and  need  not  be 
disconcerted  by  this.  Manifestly  these  two  contradictory  statements 
are  the  work  of  two  different  writers. 


Ur  of  the  Chaldees  as  it  is  Today 

V.  5.  The  words,  "to  go  to  the  land  of  Canaan",  or  rather  the 
Hebrew  of  which  they  are  the  translation,  were  not  a  part  of  the 
original  story,  but  were  inserted  by  some  late  writer.  It  is  easy  to 
see  that  they  spoil  the  point  of  the  story.  The  story,  in  its  original 
form,  told  that  Abraham  obeyed  God's  command,  without  knowing 
whither  he  was  going.  He  was  led  only  by  implicit  faith  in  God. 
As  v.  7  clearly  states,  not  until  he  had  actually  come  to  Canaan,  to 
the  vicinity  of  Shechem,  did  God  reveal  to  him  that  this  was  the  goal 
of  his  journey.  This  fact  was  perceived  and  admitted  by  the  rabbis 
of  old,  even  despite  the  explicit  statement  of  v.  5  that  Abraham  knew 
from  the  outset  that  Canaan  would  be  the  end  of  his  journey. 

V.  6.  In  Palestine  trees  are  not  very  common.  In  consequence 
trees  of  unusual  size  and  appearance  have  always  been  singled  out 
as  landmarks.  This  tree  near  Shechem  was  particularly  famous. 
It  is  referred  to  again  in  Deuteronomy  XI,  30.  The  name,  March, 
means  "teacher"  or  "oracle".  The  ancient  Canaanites,  who  gave 
this  tree  its  name,  must  have  thought  that  a  god  dwelt  in  it,  and  fre- 


110  The  Book  of  Genesis 

quently  communicated  his  will  to  mortals  from  there.  Such  a  belief 
was  common  among  the  Canaanites  and  also  in  ancient  Israel;  cf. 
the  story  in  II  Samuel,  V,  24. 

•  V.  7.  According  to  the  ancient  conception,  an  altar  was  indis- 
pensable for  worship.  V.  8  speaks  of  another  altar  which  Abraham 
built  between  Bethel  and  Ai,  and  XIII,  18  tells  of  a  third  altar 
erected  by  Abraham  in  the  grove  of  Mamre,  where  he  finally  took 
up  his  permanent  abode.  The  Bible  seems  to  imply  that  at  every 
stage  of  his  journey  Abraham  erected  an  altar  unto  God,  in  order 
to  worship  Him  properly  and  to  thank  Him  for  His  protection  and 
blessing.  From  this  the  thought  of  the  necessity  of  prayer  and 
thanksgiving  to  God,  may  be  developed  by  the  teacher,  and  the  op- 
portunity seized  to  inquire  what  children  recite  at  least  night  and 
morning  prayers  regularly,  and  to  teach  such  prayers  to  those 
children  who  may  not  recite  them. 

V.  8.  "To  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord,"  i.  e.  "to  worship 
God,"  cf.  XIII,  4. 

V.  9.  "Toward  the  South",  literally,  "toward  the  Negeb".  The 
extreme  southern  portion  of  Palestine,  which  borders  upon  the  desert, 
was  known  as  the  Negeb.  It  was  in  this  district,  in  the  vicinity  of 
Beer-sheba,  that  the  Bible  represents  both  Abraham  and  Isaac  as 
usually  sojourning. 

These  verses  tell  that  Abraham  journeyed  through  the  entire  land 
of  Palestine,  from  north  to  south,  implying  that  thereby  he  estab- 
lished his  claim  to  -possess  it,  in  accordance  with  God's  promise. 

Vv.  10-20  record  an  ancient  tradition,  parallel  versions  of  which 
are  found  in  XX  and  XXVI,  1-11.  It  is  not  absolutely  essential  to 
the  Abraham  story. 


Abraham  and  Lot  111 


VII 

ABRAHAM  AND   LOT 

(Genesis  XIII-XIV) 

Let  there  be  no  strife  between  me  and  thee.     (Genesis  XIII,  8.) 
A  soft  answer  turneth  away  wrath.      (Proverbs,  XV,   1.) 
Read    Psalm   XXXIV,    12-15. 

We  said  in  the  last  lesson  that  Abraham  was  a  great 
man.  He  must  have  been  very  great  to  have  heard  the  call 
of  God  so  plainly,  and  to  have  obeyed  so  promptly  and  so 
completely.  And  the  outcome  of  his  hearing  and  obeying, 
the  existence  of  the  Jewish  people  and  of  our  Jewish  reli- 
gion today,  is  conclusive  proof  of  his  greatness. 

But  this  is  not  the  only  proof.  True  greatness  does  not 
consist  only  in  doing  great  things.  Opportunities  to  do  great 
things  come  only  occasionally,  even  to  great  people.  But 
the  little  things  which  must  be  done,  and  done  right,  come 
constantly  to  both  great  and  small.  If  a  man  should  do  a 
few  big  things  well,  but  should  fail  in  all  the  little  things, 
we  could  hardly  consider  him  truly  great.  Perhaps  the  true 
test  of  greatness  is  the  way  a  man  does  the  little  things.  If 
he  finds  them  hard,  or  if  they  take  too  long,  or  if  he  hesitates 
too  much,  or  does  them  in  slip-shod  manner,  we  may  be  sure 
that  he  will  never  be  able  to  do  great  things.  But  if  he  does 
the  little  things  right  and  promptly,  without  doubt  and  hesi- 
tation, if  he  shows  himself  the  master  in  little  things,  then 
we  may  believe  that  he  will  be  equal  to  the  big  things  when 
they  come. 

Thus  we  see  that  the  great  man  must  be  always  ready  to 


112  The  Book  of  Genesis 

do  the  right  thing  in  the  right  way.  In  childhood  he  must 
train  himself,  possibly  with  the  help  of  loving  and  wise 
parents  and  teachers,  to  be  always  ready  to  do  little  things 
aright,  until  gradually  it  becomes  a  habit.  Just  as  the  pianist 
must  first  learn  the  position  of  the  keys,  but  in  time,  through 
constant  practice,  his  fingers  unconsciously  always  strike  the 
right  key,  so  the  person  who  has  in  him  the  making  of  a 
truly  great  person  and  a  true  gentleman,  comes  in  time  to 
always  do  the  right  thing  in  the  right  way,  immediately, 
unhesitatingly,  and  almost  without  having  to  stop  ,and  think. 
It  has  become  a  part  of  his  character.  Perhaps  just  these 
many  little  things,  rather  than  the  few  big  things,  furnish 
the  best  test  of  true  greatness. 

Just  such  a  test,  applied  to  Abraham,  we  read  of  in  this 
lesson.  And  the  way  in  which  he  stood  the  test  shows  how 
-truly  great  he  was.  When  his  shepherds  and  those  of  Lot 
quarreled,  he  might  have  become  angry.  And  when  the  time 
came  to  separate,  he  might  have  said,  "I  am  the  older,  and 
you  owe  me  very  much  already,  for  all  the  kindness  I  have 
shown  you.  Therefore  I  am  entitled  to  the  first  choice". 
It  would  have  been  perfectly  true,  and  Lot  could  not  have 
objected.  But  it  would  probably  have  caused  jealousy, 
hatred,  and  unhappiness  between  them.  Abraham  showed  his 
true  greatness  in  wishing  to  avoid  this  at  all  costs.  There- 
fore he  said,  "Let  there  be  no  strife  between  me  and  thee". 
And  knowing  Lot  as  he  did,  he  allowed  him  the  first  choice. 
Lot  made  a  selfish  choice,  for  he  took  the  land  which  seemed 
the  more  fertile  and  desirable,  and  left  to  Abraham  what 
he  thought  the  poorer  land.  We  shall  see  later  that  after 
all  he  had  made  a  bad  choice,  and  that  Abraham's  land 
turned  out  to  be  better. 

Thus  Abraham  did  the  right  thing  and  spoke  the  right 
word  at  just  the  right  time.  Thereby  all  strife  and  trouble 
were  avoided,  and  he  and  Lot  parted,  not  in  anger,  but  in 
love.  The  story  goes  on  to  show  how  Abraham's  love  for 


Abraham  and  Lot 


113 


A  Nomad  Chieftain 


114  The  Book  of  Genesis 

Lot  continued  thereafter,  despite  the  latter's  selfish  choice. 
When  Lot  was  taken  prisoner,  it  was  Abraham  who  rescued 
him.  All  this  reveals  the  true  greatness  of  Abraham.  And 
it  proves  the  truth  of  the  wise  proverb  from  the  Bible, 

A   soft   answer  turneth   away   wrath. 

Turning  away  wrath  and  working  for  peace  are  always  char- 
acteristic of  the  truly  great  man.  It  is  told  of  a  certain 
rabbi  of  old,  that  he  used  to  walk  up  and  down  before  any 
person  who  had  wronged  him,  in  order  to  give  that  person 
a  chance  to  ask  pardon.  Instead  of  giving  way  to  anger 
himself,  he  sought  to  bring  the  other  person  to  repent.  In 
this  he  was  great  like  Abraham.  Of  men  like  these  the 
Bible  wisely  says, 

He  that  is  slow  to  anger  is  better  than  the  mighty; 
And    he    that    ruleth    his    spirit    than    he    that    taketh    a    city. 
(Proverbs    XVI,   32.) 

And  the  rabbis  sagely  remarked,  "Who  is  a  hero?  He  who 
subdueth  his  own  evil  inclination". 

In  this,  as  in  everything  else,  Abraham  is  typical  of  Israel. 
Frequently  we  hear  it  said,  "Israel's  mission  is  peace". 
While  this  is  by  no  means  all  of  Israel's  mission,  none  the 
less  it  is  a  very  important  part  thereof.  Peace  is  the  basis 
of  human  brotherhood,  which  Judaism  proclaims.  Without 
peace  there  can  be  no  fellowship  nor  brotherly  cooperation 
in  the  work  of  the  world.  In  the  face  of  the  jealousy,  riv- 
alry and  hostility  of  the  nations  and  races  into  which  the 
human  family  is  divided,  it  is  Israel's  task  to  herald  un- 
ceasingly the  principles  of  peace,  brotherhood,  cooperation 
and  unity  as  the  foundation  of  true  living.  Peace,  Judaism 
teaches,  is  God's  supreme  blessing.  The  Bible  makes  the 
pursuit  of  peace  the  highest  duty  of  life  when  it  says, 

Come,   ye   children,    hearken    unto   me; 
I  will  teach  you  the  fear  of  the  Lord. 


Abraham  and  Lot  115 

Who  is  the  man  that  desireth  life, 

And  loveth  days,  that  he  may  see  good  therein? 

Keep  thy  tongue   from  evil, 

And   thy   lips    from   speaking  guile. 

Depart  from  evil  and  do  good; 

Seek  peace  and  pursue  it. 

In  ancient  times,  and  even  still  today,  one  Jew  would 
greet  another  with  the  words,  shalom  alecha,  "peace  be  upon 
thee",  and  the  answering  greeting  would  be,  alecha  shalom, 
"and  upon  thee  be  peace".  And  in  departing  from  the  house 
of  God  the  priests  would  invoke  the  divine  blessing  upon  the 
faithful  worshipers,  closing  with  the  beautiful  words, 

The  Lord  lift  up  His  countenance  upon  thee  and  give  thee  peace. 
(Numbers  V,  26.) 

And  the  pious  Psalmist  pictured  the  supreme  good  which 
can  come  to  Israel  and  to  all  men,  as  the  time  when 

Mercy  and  truth  are  met  together; 
Righteousness  and  peace  have  kissed  each  other. 
Truth  springeth  out  of  the  earth; 

And  righteousness  looketh  down  from  heaven.     (Psalm  LXXXV, 
11-12.) 

Such  is  the  teaching  of  peace,  which  Israel,  following  the 
example  of  Father  Abraham,  has  ever  proclaimed  to  the 
world.  And  through  this  teaching  all  the  children  of  the 
one  Father  must  in  the  end  be  united  into  one  loving  family, 
even  as  God  intended. 

Again  we  find  evidence  of  true  greatness  in  Abraham's 
answer  to  the  king  of  Sodom.  He  had  done  the  right  and 
fought  for  the  weak,  and  had  rescued  Lot  and  the  other 
captives,  not  thinking  of  reward,  but  only  of  duty.  It  was 
a  rich  reward  which  the  king  of  Sodom  offered,  and  many 
might  think  that  Abraham  was  entitled  to  it,  and  might  have 
taken  it  without  compunction.  But  Abraham  did  not  hesi- 
tate an  instant.  Of  course  he  had  no  right  to  refuse  the 


116  The  Book  of  Genesis 

reward  for  the  three  allies  who  had  accompanied  him ;  they 
must  speak  for  themselves.  But  for  himself,  he  would  take 
not  so  much  as  a  shoestring.  It  was  enough  to  know  that 
he  had  done  his  duty,  and  had  made  people  happy.  No 
rewards  could  tempt  him.  It  reminds  us  of  the  question 
asked  in  one  of  our  most  beautiful  psalms, 

Lord,   who    shall    sojourn   in   Thy   tabernacle? 
Who   shall   dwell  upon  Thy.  holy  mountain? 

and  the  answer, 

He  that  walketh  uprightly  and  worketh  righteousness.  (Psalm 
XV,  1-2.) 

This  is  only  a  part  of  the  answer  given  there.  Yet  we  may 
be  sure  from  what  we  know  of  Abraham  already,  and  what 
we  shall  learn  later,  that  he  would  be  among  those  who  may 
dwell  in  the  tabernacle  of  God. 

Above  all  else,  these  two  stories  give  further  proof  of 
Abraham's  fitness  for  the  great  mission  upon  which  God  had 
sent  him.  He  had  stood  the  test  of  unquestioning  faith  in 
God,  the  first  indispensable  requisite  for  one  who  would  do 
God's  work.  But  that  was  not  enough.  One  can  serve  God 
only  by  serving  fellowmen  loyally  and  usefully,  entirely  for- 
getful of  self,  and  without  thought  of  reward  for  the  per- 
formance of  duty.  The  story  of  Abraham  and  Lot  had 
proved  that  Abraham  could  sacrifice  his  own  interests  in 
order  to  preserve  peace  and  love  with  his  kinsman,  and  the 
story  of  Abraham  and  the  king  of  Sodom  had  proved  equally, 
that  in  the  discharge  of  duty  Abraham  could  not  be  swayed 
by  considerations  of  personal  interest  and  reward.  He  had 
stood  these  first  three  tests  nobly.  But  they  were  not  enough ; 
other  and  more  severe  tests  were  to  follow. 

Stories  very  similar  in  character  are  told  of  one  of  the 
wisest  and  noblest  of  the  ancient  rabbis,  Hillel.  He  was 
renowned  throughout  all  Israel  for  his  quiet,  even,  peace- 


Abraham  and  Lot  117 

loving  disposition.  He  was  fond  of  using  the  saying,  "Be 
of  the  disciples  of  Aaron,  loving  peace  and  pursuing  peace, 
loving  all  men  and  bringing  them  near  to  the  law  (of  God)". 
One  day,  it  is  told,  two  men  made  a  wager,  one  betting  that 
he  could  make  Hillel  angry,  and  the  other  betting  that  he 
could  not.  It  happened  to  be  just  before  the  beginning  of 
Sabbath,  and  Hillel  was  bathing  himself  and  preparing  to 
welcome  the  Sabbath  in  true  Jewish  spirit.  The  man  who 
had  made  the  wager  came  to  Hillel's  house  and  called  out, 
"Is  Hillel  at  home?"  Hillel  heard  and  clothed  himself  and 
came  down.  "What  is  it,  my  son?"  he  asked.  "I  would  ask 
a  question ;  "why  have  the  Babylonians  such  pointed  heads  ?" 
It  was  a  very  foolish  question,  but  the  man  asked  it  pur- 
posely, thinking  that  Hillel  would  resent  being  disturbed  for 
such  a  trivial  thing.  But  Hillel  answered,  just  as  if  it  were 
a  wise  question,  "It  is  because  they  have  no  good  physicians, 
my  son".  The  man  departed  and  Hillel  went  back  to  his 
bath.  But  soon  the  man  returned  and  again  called  out, 
"Is  Hillel  at  home?"  Again  Hillel  dressed  and  came  down. 
"I  would  ask  another  question ;  why  have  the  men  of  Tad- 
mor  (a  famous  city  in  the  desert  northeast  of  Palestine) 
such  narrow  eyes  ?"  "Because  they  live  in  the  sandy  desert 
(and  the  glare  of  the  sun  forces  them  to  always  keep  their 
eyes  half  closed),  my  son".  Again  the  man  went  away  and 
Hillel  returned  to  his  bath.  But  a  third  time  the  man  came 
with  another  silly  question,  and  once  more  Hillel  clothed 
himself  and  came  down.  "Why  have  the  people  of  Africa 
such  big  feet?"  "Because  they  dwell  in  a  swampy  country, 
my  son",  was  the  patient  reply.  Then  the  man  said,  "I 
would  ask  many  more  questions,  but  I  fear  that  thou  mayest 
become  angry".  At  this  Hillel  sat  down  and  said,  "Ask  all 
thy  questions,  my  son".  Then  the  man  himself  became  angry 
and  said  in  a  loud  voice,  "Art  thou  indeed  Hillel,  whom 
they  call  the  Prince?  Well,  may  there  not  be  many  more 
like  thee  in  Israel".  In  surprise  Hillel  asked,  "Why,  my 


118  The  Book  of  Genesis 

son?"  "Because  thou  hast  kept  thy  temper  and  hast  caused 
me  this  day  to  lose  four  hundred  zuz  (an  ancient  coin)". 
But  Hillel  calmly  answered,  "Better,  my  son,  that  thou 
shouldst  lost  thy  four  hundred  zuz  than  that  Hillel  should 
lose  his  temper". 

At  another  time  while  deep  in  study,  Hillel  heard  a  knock 
at  his  door.  He  opened  and  found  a  young,  heathen  boy 
standing  there,  with  an  insolent  smile  on  his  face.  "Teach 
me  the  law",  he  said,  "while  I  stand  on  one  foot.  If  you 
do,  then  I  will  become  a  Jew".  His  purpose  was,  of  course, 
to  mock  at  the  Jewish  religion  and  its  teachers.  He  had 
already  tried  the  same  trick  upon  Shammai,  another  famous 
teacher  of  the  time.  And  Shammai,  not  noted  for  patience, 
had  become  very  angry  and  driven  the  boy  away.  Of  course 
this  was  just  what  the  boy  wanted.  But  instead  of  becom- 
ing angry,  Hillel  looked  at  him  kindly  for  a  moment,  and 
then  answered,  "What  is  hateful  unto  thee  thou  shalt  not 
do  unto  thy  neighbor.  This  is  the  whole  of  Judaism;  every- 
thing else  merely  explains  it".  We  see  from  their  conduct 
that  both  Abraham  and  Hillel  did  nothing  unto  their  neigh- 
bors which  was  hateful  unto  themselves ;  that  instead,  they 
truly  loved  their  neighbors  as  themselves.  Thereby  they 
showed  their  true  greatness.  Our  religion  bids  us  all  do 
just  this^  love  our  neighbors  as  ourselves,  speak  the  soft 
answer  which  turns  away  wrath,  and  makes  for  peace  and 
love  and  true  happiness.  Thereby  we  shall  ueach  be  doing 
our  part  in  fulfilling  the  mission  of  Israel,  of  being  a  bless- 
ing unto  all  the  families  of  the  earth. 

NOTES 

The  picture  of  Abraham  and  Lot  here  is  one  of  nomads  rather 
than  of  city  dwellers.  Their  possessions  consist  of  sheep,  and  prob- 
ably also  of  camels.  They  live  in  tents,  and  wander  about  from 
place  to  place  in  search  of  pasturage  and  water  for  their  flocks. 
When  these  increase  to  a  considerable  extent,  the  pasturage  and 
water  in  a  given  district  become  insufficient.  In  consequence  their 


Abraham  and  Lot  119 

shepherds  contend  for  the  same  wells  and  pastures.  The  southern 
part  of  Palestine,  in  which  Abraham  is  here  represented  as  now  dwell- 
ing, has  always  been  better  suited  for  grazing  than  for  agriculture, 
chiefly  because  of  its  insufficient  water  supply.  It  is  important  to 
make  the  children  realize  that  our  ancestors  were  ifirst  of  all  shep- 
herds, and  continued  as  such  for  a  long  time.  The  sons  of  Jacob 
in  Egypt  were  still  shepherds.  And  out  in  the  desert,  before  they 
entered  Canaan,  the  tribes  must  have  lived  entirely  as  shepherds. 
In  fact  this  is  the  only  life  possible  in  the  desert.  This  fact  of  early 
desert,  shepherd  life  had  a  far-reaching  effect  upon  the  subsequent 
life  and  religion  of  Israel.  This  matter  will  become  clear  to  the 
teacher  in  time. 

In  this  connection  it  might  be  pointed  out  that  it  was  not  un- 
common for  shepherds  to  quarrel,  particularly  for  water.  This  is 
shown  by  the  stories  of  Jacob  and  Rachel  and  Moses  and  Zipporah. 

V.  7.  The  Canaanites  and  Perizzites  were  two  of  the  peoples 
who  inhabited  Palestine  before  its  conquest  by  the  tribes  of  Israel. 

V.  10.  Show  on  the  map  the  valley  of  the  Jordan.  Stimulate 
the  curiosity  and  interest  of  the  children  by  telling  them  that  they 
can  not  see,  for  a  very  good  reason,  which  they  will  learn  soon, 
the  exact  spot  where  Lot  settled. 

"Well-watered",  because  water  was  so  scarce  in  Palestine,  and  so 
highly  valued;  this  fact  made  just  this  part  of  the  country  seem  so 
desirable  to  Lot. 

"Garden  of  the  Lord",  probably  a  reference  to  the  story  of  the 
garden  of  Eden.  (Cf.  note  to  II,  8.) 

The  valley  of  the  Nile  in  Egypt  is  one  of  the  most  fertile  spots 
upon  the  earth. 

V.  11.     Show  on  the  map  the  relative  locations  of  the  two  men. 

V.  12.  "The  Plain",  i.  e.  the  low-lying  valley  of  the  Jordan,  of 
which  the  bed  of  the  Dead  Sea  is  the  lowest  part. 

XIV,  1.  Some  modern  scholars  have  tried  to  identify  some  of 
the  names  of  the  kings  given  in  these  verses  with  names  of  early 
Babylonian  and  Elamite  kings  known  from  other  historical  sources, 
but  with  questionable  success.  This  is  a  legend  pure  and  simple, 
without  the  slightest  historical  basis. 

V.  2.  Sodom,  Gomorrah,  Admah  and  Zeboiim  were  legendary 
cities  in  the  lower  Jordan  valley,  which,  according  to  tradition,  were 
destroyed  by  God,  and  whose  sites  are  now  covered  by  the  Dead 
Sea.  For  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  cf.  XIX  and  also  Lesson  IX;  for 
Admah  and  Zeboiim  cf.  Deuteronomy  XIX,  22;  Hosea  XI,  8.  These 
last  two  passages  make  it  clear  that  a  tradition  about  Admah  and 


120  The  Book  of  Genesis 

Zeboiim,  similar  to  that  about  Sodom  and.  Gomorrah,  was  current  in 
ancient  Israel.  The  probable  site  of  Zoar  is  occupied  today  by  a 
small  Arabian  village,  still  known  by  the  similar  and  closely  related 
name,  Seghur ;  cf.  XIX,  22f.  and  30. 

Vv.  5f.  The  Rephaim,  Zuzim,  Emim  and  the  Horites  were  early 
legendary  inhabitants  of  Canaan  and  Edom ;  cf .  Deuteronomy  II, 
10-12;  20-23  (here  the  Zuzim  are  called  by  the  fuller  name,  Zam- 
zumim). 

The  Amalekites  were  a  nomad  people  inhabiting  the  desert  south 
of  Palestine.  They  were  conquered  by  Saul  and  David  (I  Samuel 
XV  and  XXX).  The  Amorites  were  a  people  dwelling  in  Palestine 
and  to  the  east  of  the  Jordan  before  the  Israelite  conquest  of  the 
land. 

V.  10.  Numerous  asphalt  or  bitumen  wells  are  found  near  the 
Dead  Sea.  Some,  in  fact,  exist  in  the  bed  of  the  sea  itself,  and  in 
places  where  the  water  is  not  deep,  the  asphalt  rises  and  floats  upon 
the  surface,  where  it  is  gathered  by  the  Arabs  of  the  neighborhood, 
who  carry  it  to  market  and  sell  it.  By  "slime  pits"  such  asphalt 
wells  are  meant ;  cf.  note  to  XI,  3. 

V.  11.  It  will  be  well  to  point  out  on  the  map  that,  as  vv. 
14  and  15  show,  they  go  northward.  A  glance  at  the  map  will  show 
why.  To  the  east  and  south  of  Palestine  is  the  great  desert,  which 
because  of  scarcity  of  water  and  food,  is  almost  impassable.  Hence 
to  come  from  Babylon  and  Assyria  in  the  far  east,  caravans  and 
armies  had  always  to  make  a  wide  detour  to  the  north,  along  the 
Tigris  and  Euphrates  rivers.  For  this  reason  the  books  of  the  Bible 
always  describe  the  enemies  of  Israel  as  coming  from  the  north. 

V.  13.  Indicate  on  the  map  the  location  of  Hebron  and  of  the 
grove  of  Mamre  just  outside  the  city.  Abraham,  of  course,  being  a 
nomad,  would  dwell  not  in  the  city,  but  outside  in  the  grove,  where 
he  could  pitch  his  tent.  We  shall  hear  of  this  same  grove  again 
very  soon.  Even  today,  not  far  from  Hebron  a  very  old  and  very 
large  oak  tree  is  called  "Abraham's  Oak,"  and  is  supposed,  though 
probably  incorrectly,  to  be  the  only  tree  remaining  of  this  ancient 
grove;  cf.  picture,  p.  123. 

"These  were  confederate  with  Abraham",  i.  e.  they  had  entered 
into  a  covenant  with  Abraham.  Explain  that  a  covenant  means  a 
kind  of  alliance  between  two  parties,  which  obligates  each  to  help  the 
other  in  case  of  trouble,  and  makes  them  virtually  brothers.  In  the 
flood-story  we  read  that  God  made  a  covenant  with  Noah  and  his 
descendants.  Explain  what  a  covenant  with  God  would  mean.  We 


Abraham  and  Lot  121 

shall   hear    frequently   of    God's   covenant   with    Abraham,    Isaac   and 
Jacob  and  with  all   Israel. 

V.  14.  His  trained  men,  i.  e.  his  herdsmen  and  other  servants 
who  were  of  course  also  warriors.  This  number,  three  hundred  and 
eighteen,  shows  how  wealthy  and  powerful  Abraham  was.  Imagine 
a  man  having  that  many  servants  today. 

V.  15.  A  surprise  attack  at  night  is  the  usual  method  of  nomad 
warfare  in  the  desert.  With  this  may  be  compared  Gideon's  victory 
over  the  Midianites  and  David's  over  the  Amalekites.  A  hint  of 
these  stories  to  come  later,  may  be  thrown  out  to  the  children. 

"On  the  left  hand",  i.  e.  north.  Among  the  ancient  Semites 
directions  were  reckoned  according  to  the  position  of  a  man  facing 
the  rising  sun.  Hence  in  Hebrew  kedem,  literally  "in  front",  means 
/'east",  ahar,  literally  "behind",  means  "west",  smol,  "left",  means 
"north"  and  yamin,  "right",  means  "south". 

V.  16.  For  the  use  of  the  term  "brother"  here  and  in  XIII,  8, 
cf.  the  note  to  XXIX,  15. 

VV.  18-20  in  the  Bible,  giving  the  incident  of  Melchizedek,  are  an. 
interpolation  into  the  main  story,  difficult  to  understand,  and  serving 
only  to  confuse  the  real  narrative.  Salem  is  generally  thought  to 
mean  Jerusalem. 

V.  22.  Oaths  were  usually  confirmed  by  raising  either  the  right 
hand  or  both  hands  on  high,  as  if  calling  God  to  witness;  cf. 
Deuteronomy  XXXII,  40;  Isaiah  LXII,  8;  Daniel  XII,  7. 

V.  24.  "Their  portion",  according  to  common  custom  the  booty 
really  belonged  to  those  who  had  captured  it.  This  makes  Abraham's 
magnanimity  all  the  clearer,  since  it  shows  that  he  refused  to  accept 
that,  to  which  he  was  by  custom  fully  entitled, 


122  The  Book  of  Genesis 


VIII 

ABRAHAM'S    HOSPITALITY 

(Genesis  XVIII  1-16) 

When  he  saw  them  he  ran  to  meet  them.     (Genesis  XVIII,  2.) 

He  that  is  gracious  unto  the  poor  lendeth  unto  the  Lord.  (Pro- 
verbs XIX,  17.) 

Read    Isaiah    LVIII,   6-12. 

Thus  far  Abraham  had  stood  God's  test.  The  incident 
with  Lot  had  proved  his  willingness  to  make  great  sacrifices 
in  order  to  preserve  peace.  Yet  Lot  was  a  near  kinsman, 
and  frequently  we  will  do  for  those  who  are  close  to  us 
things  which  we  would  be  unwilling  to  do  for  others.  Fur- 
thermore, the  duty  of  preserving  peace  with  Lot  had,  as  it 
were,  come  of  its  own  accord  to  Abraham's  door,  and  could 
not  be  put  aside.  He  had  had1  to  do  something  at  once  to 
maintain  the  old  relations  of  confidence  and  affection,  or 
these  would  have  been  severed  forever.  Indecision,  or  in- 
action, or  shutting  the  eyes  would  not  have  helped. 

But  there  are  many  duties  in  life,  which  do  not  seek  us 
out,  but  which  we  must  seek,  if  we  would  perform  them. 
It  is  so  easy  to  shut  our  eyes  to  duties  like  these,  and  refuse 
to  see  them,  to  fold  our  hands,  and  refuse  to  do  them. 
These  are  only  sins  of  omission,  as  they  are  called,  and  to 
many,  if  not  most  people  such  sins  seem  negligible,  hardly 
sins  at  all.  However,  one  of  the  wisest  of  the  ancient 
rabbis  used  to  say,  "Be  as  diligent  in  the  performance  of  a 
small  duty  as  in  the  performance  of  a  great  one".  He  who 
would  go  upon  the  mission  of  God,  and  perform  His  service 


Abraham's  Hospitality 


123 


gladly  and  loyally,  can  not  wait  for  duties  to  seek  him  out, 
nor  discharge  only  those  obligations  imposed  upon  him  by 
the  ties  of  kinship.  He  must  be  fully  conscious  of  that 
larger  relationship,  which,  we  have  learned,  Judaism  teaches, 
the  brotherhood  of  all  the  children  of  God.  And  he  must 
be  eager  to  perform  all  the  duties  of  this  larger  brotherhood, 


Abraham's  Oak  at  Mamre 

to  serve  his  fellowmen  in  every  way  possible.  Not  only 
must  he  discharge  those  duties  which  seek  him  out,  but  he 
must  himself  search  out  all  possible  forms  of  service,  and 
when  he  finds  them  he  must  run  eagerly  to  meet  them. 
Whoever  can  not  stand  this  test,  can  be  no  true  servant  of 
God.  How  did  Abraham  stand  this  test? 

One  day,  while  sitting  at  the  door  of  his  tent,  Abraham 
saw  three  strangers  coming  towards  him,  dusty  and  foot- 
sore. It  was  just  at  noon,  when  the  sun  is  hottest,  and,  in 


124  The  Book  of  Genesis 

Palestine,  beats  down  cruelly  upon  the  head  of  the  venture- 
some traveler,  and  consumes  his  energy  and  vitality.  Then 
people  generally  seek  refuge  from  the  heat.  But  apparently 
these  three  men  had  no  place  whither  they  might  turn,  until 
Abraham  ran  to  them  and  urged  them  to  rest  and  refresh 
themselves  in  his  tent.  Then  he  prepared  for  them  a  sump- 
tuous meal,  from  the  standpoint  of  that  day  a  veritable  ban- 
quet, and,  as  the  final  mark  of  respect,  he  waited  upon  them 
himself.  The  rabbis  of  old  called  attention  to  the  fact  that 
in  his  words  Abraham  invited  the  travelers  to  rest  and  re- 
fresh themselves  with  a  piece  of  bread,  but  actually  he 
offered  them  far  more  than  he  had  promised.  This,  they 
remarked,  is  the  best  hospitality  and  the  truest  sign  of 
worth,  to  promise  little  in  words,  but  to  give  much  in  deeds. 
Now  why  was  Abraham  so  urgent  that  these  travelers 
accept  his  hospitality?  Of  course,  partly  because  his  heart 
was  touched  by  their  plight;  but  even  more,  because  hos- 
pitality is  indeed  a  great  virtue.  Because  of  this  incident, 
and  many  similar  stories  about  him,  Abraham  has  always 
been  regarded,  not  only  by  Jews,  but  by  all  men,  as  the  pat- 
tern of  true  hospitality.  The  wise  rabbis  used  to  tell  that 
Abraham's  tent  was  so  situated  that  he  could  look  out  on 
all  four  sides  to  see  if  anyone  was  coming,  to  whom  he 
might  offer  his  hospitality.  And  he  always  kept  the  sides 
of  his  tent  raised,  so  that  he  might  not  miss  a  single  oppor- 
tunity. Anyone  who  has  ever  traveled  in  the  Orient,  or 
has  read  extensively  about  travel  there,  will  appreciate  what 
this  means.  Until  comparatively  recently  there  were  no 
hotels  at  all  in  the  East.  Instead  people  would  take  the 
stranger  into  their  homes,  and  entertain  him  for  as  long  as 
he  would  stay.  In  fact  it  was  thought  that  the  stranger 
had  a  right  to  be  entertained.  He  might  demand  food  and 
lodging  from  anyone,  and  it  would  be  a  contemptible  churl 
•who  would  refuse.  Occasionally  though  there  were  such, 
and  we  shall  hear  of  some  in  our  very  next  lesson.  But  in 


Abraham's  Hospitality  125 

the  Orient  they  are  not  many,  for  hospitality  is  regarded  as 
the  highest  virtue,  and  the  rights  of  the  guest  and  the 
stranger  precede  everything  else. 

But  Abraham  was  not  content  merely  to  give  the  stranger 
his  rights,  or  to  wait  until  he  might  claim  entertainment. 
He  was  eager  rather  to  discharge  the  duty  of  hospitality 
on  every  possible  occasion.  Therefore,  as  the  story  em- 
phasizes, he  did  not  wait  for  the  men  to  come  to  him,  but 
he  ran  to  meet  them,  and  urged  them  to  honor  him  by  ac- 
cepting his  hospitality.  It  is  another  instance  of  Abraham's 
greatness  and  large-heartedness.  It  shows  that  he  was  not 
merely  hospitable  in  the  ordinary  sense,  but  that  he  pos- 
sessed this  virtue  in  the  highest  degree.  And  even  more,  it 
shows  that  Abraham  would  not  wait  for  duties  to  seek  him 
out,  but  would  run  to  meet  and  to  serve  his  fellowmen  in 
every  possible  way.  This  test,  too,  Abraham  had  stood. 

Abraham  had  no  idea  who  the  strangers  were ;  nor  did 
he  ask.  It  was  enough  that  they  were  tired  and  spent.  But 
unconsciously  he  was  entertaining  God  Himself,  or  at  least 
three  angels.  It  illustrates  well  the  beautiful  proverb  from 
our  Bible, 

He  that  is  gracious  unto  the  poor  lendeth  unto  the  Lord. 

Whenever  we  help  the  poor  and  show  true  hospitality,  it  is 
as  if  we  gave  unto  God  Himself.  And  true  hospitality 
consists,  not  merely  in  giving  food  and  lodging  to  friends, 
but  in  opening  heart  and  hand  to  all,  not  asking  who  they 
are,  in  sharing  what  we  have,  what  God  has  given  us,  with 
all  who  need,  in  truly  loving  our  neighbor  as  ourselves.  We 
have  seen  repeatedly  that  Abraham  lived  and  acted  in  just 
this  spirit ;  therefore  he  has  become  the  world's  model  of 
hospitality  and  generosity. 

But   especially   to   us   Jews    is   Abraham   the   model    and 
'inspiration   of   true   hospitality.      Hospitality   means   brother- 
hood,  and   has   always   been   a   characteristic   Jewish   virtue. 


126  The  Book  of  Genesis 

Among  our  fathers  the  stranger  was  always  welcome  in 
every  Jewish  home,  and  the  household  felt  itself  honored 
when  strangers  accepted  its  hospitality.  It  was  indeed  a 
poor  and  miserable  household  which,  especially  on  Friday 
night,  when  the  Sabbath  was  ushered  in  with  gladness 
and  rejoicing  and  with  an  unusually  excellent  supper,  did 
not  have  some  stranger  at  the  table  to  join  in  the  glad- 
ness, and  to  share,  and  thereby  enrich,  the  blessing  of  the 
Sabbath.  Nor  was  the  guest  asked  who  he  was.  Some, 
too,  will  remember  how  at  the  Seder  service,  which  ushers 
in  every  Pesach  festival,  the  door  is  opened  in  the  hope  that 
the  Prophet  Elijah  might  enter  and  partake  of  the  family 
hospitality. 

But  it  is  no  wonder  that,  with  the  example  of  Father 
Abraham  to  inspire  us,  hospitality  should  have  become  a 
characteristic  Jewish  virtue.  In  commenting  upon  this  act 
of  Abraham,  the  rabbis  told  this  beautiful  story.  A  trav- 
eler was  once  journeying  through  the  desert.  He  had  wan- 
dered for  many  days,  without  meeting  anyone,  or  finding  a 
place  where  he  could  replenish  his  supply  of  food  and 
water.  At  last  these  were  exhausted  and  he  wandered 
on  despairingly,  growing  weaker  and  weaker.  Suddenly 
he  found  himself  lying  beneath  a  magnificent  palm  tree, 
whose  branches  were  laden  with  dates,  and  at  whose  foot 
bubbled  a  softly  murmuring  spring.  The  traveler  ate  and 
drank,  and  his  strength  returned.  He  filled  his  bottle  and 
pouch  and  prepared  to  depart.  But  first  he  turned  to  the 
tree  and  said,  "How  can  I  reward  thee  for  thy  blessing?  I 
can  not  wish  for  thee  anything  that  thou  hast  nott  already. 
I  can  wish  only  that  thy  offspring  may  be  like  thee".  So,  in 
departing  from  Abraham,  God  said,  "What  can  I  offer  thee 
for  thy  kindness,  since  already  thou  art  rich  and  hast  every- 
thing that  thou'  dost  want  ?  I  can  grant  only  that  thy  de- 
scendants, the  people  of  Israel,  may  be  like  thee".  There- 
upon He  announced  to  Abraham  and  Sarah  the  birth  of 


Abraham's  Hospitality  127 

their  long  wished  for  son,  Isaac.  And  through  Isaac  the 
people  Israel,  Abraham's  descendants,  came  to  be ;  and  hos- 
pitality has  been,  just  as  God  blessed  Abraham,  one  of  the 
greatest  Jewish  virtues.  In  its  spirit  the  Bible  teaches  that 
among  the  acts  of  service  most  pleasing  to  God  are, 

To  deal  thy  bread   to  the  hungry, 

And  that  thou  bring  the  poor  that  are  cast  out  to  thy  house. 

When  thou  seest  the  naked,  that  thou  cover  him, 

And  that  thou  hide  not  thyself  from  thine  own  flesh. 

And  the  rabbis  taught  that  the  table  which  feeds  the 
stranger  becomes  an  altar,  meaning  that  this  is  the  same  as 
giving  unto  God,  as  if  God  Himself  were  the  guest  at  the 
table,  just  as,  unawares,  He  was  Abraham's  guest.  They 
also  taught,  "Let  thy  house  be  wide  open  to  the  poor,  and 
let  the  poor  be  as  the  members  thereof".  It  is  told  that  the 
Prophet  Elijah  once  sternly  rebuked  a  renowned  rabbi  for 
having  built  a  porch,  so  large  and  so  magnificent  that  he 
could  no  longer  hear  the  poor  who  stood  at  his  door  and 
cried  for  help. 

As  the  above  story  told,  the  reward  of  Abraham's  hos- 
pitality was  Isaac.  Not  that  Abraham  expected  a  reward. 
He  had  acted,  just  as  in  his  dealings  with  the  king  of  Sodom, 
without  thinking  of  reward.  Yet  every  good  deed  brings  a 
reward  of  some  kind,  although  not  always  immediately,  and 
not  always  recognized  as  the  reward  for  that  particular 
deed.  And  Abraham's  reward  was  Isaac.  The  rabbis  told 
that  on  the  day  of  Isaac's  birth  the  sun  shone  more  brightly 
than  ever  before  or  since,  thereby  proclaiming  that  he  would 
be  a  blessing  to  all  mankind,  that  he  and  his  descendants 
would  carry  out  faithfully  God's  command  to  Abraham  to 
be  a  blessing.  Therefore  it  was  a  day  of  great  rejoicing 
for  all  mankind. 


128 


The  Book  of  Genesis 


NOTES 

The  picture  of  Abraham  sitting  at  his  tent-door,  and  of  the  meal 
which  is  served,  and  of  the  manner  of  serving  it  in  the  open  space 
before  the  tent-door,  is  typically  nomadic.  We  have  seen  in  a  pre- 
vious lesson  that  Abraham  is  represented  as  living  the  life  of  a 
typical  nomad,  such  as  a  wealthy  Beduin  sheikh  would  live  today. 


^£z_r^r 

A   Modern   Nomad  Tent 

V.  2.  There  are  various  modes  of  bowing  in  the  Orient.  The 
Hebrew  verb  used  here  denotes  a  complete  prostration  of  the  body. 
In  this  the  person  bends  the  knees,  and  then  gradually  inclines  the 
body  until  the  head  touches  the  ground;  cf.  XXIII,  7,  12;  XLII,  6; 
XLIII,  26.  This  is  the  extreme  form  of  bowing,  and  is  indicative 
of  the  desire  to  accord  the  highest  possible  honor. 

V.  4.  In  the  Orient  where  only  sandals  are  worn,  washing  the 
feet  is  one  of  the  most  indispensable  acts  of  the  toilet,  and  one  of 
the  most  characteristic  services  of  hospitality;  cf.  XXIV,  42. 

The  tree  here  is  the  largest  and  most  striking  tree  of  the  grove, 
in  whose  shade  Abraham's  tent  is  pitched.  Cf.  note  to  XIV,  13. 

V.  6.  Bread  or  cakes  (however,  not  cakes  in  our  sense,  but 
small,  round  loaves  of  bread),  are  in  the  nomad  households  not 
prepared  in  quantities  and  stored  for  several  days,  but  are  baked  fresh 


Abraham's  Hospitality 


129 


Oriental   Bowing 

for  every  meal.  Here  the  bread  is  made  from  finely  sifted  wheat 
flour,  the  finest  flour  then  known.  This  is  further  evidence  of  the 
high  honor  which  Abraham  shows  his  guests. 

V.  7.  Meat  is  eaten  by  the  nomad  only  on  very  rare  occasions. 
That  Abraham  takes  a  young  calf,  the  choicest  of  meats,  shows  the 
honor  he  accords  his  guests  and  the  extreme  measure  of  his  hos- 
pitality. The  host  usually  kills  and  dresses  the  animal  himself,  just 
as  here. 

V.  8.  In  the  Orient  it  is  customary  for  the  host  to  wait  upon 
the  guests  whom  he  most  honors.  He  himself  eats  later  of  what 
they  leave. 

V.  9.  Sarah  had  remained  in  the  tent,  however,  not  because  the 
nomad  women  were  forbidden  to  show  their  faces  to  strangers  (this 
custom  is  as  a  rule  practiced  only  in  the  cities  of  the  Orient,  and 
practically  never  among  the  nomads.  This  seems  not  to  have  been 
an  Israelite  practice).  But  among  the  nomads  woman  is  so  lightly 
esteemed  that  her  presence  is  negligible.  That  the  strangers  ask 
after  Sarah  is  a  distinct  mark  of  honor. 

V.  10.  It  is  an  altogether  human  trait  of  the  story,  that  Sarah 
is  represented  as  standing  behind  the  door  of  the  tent,  i.  e.  a  skin 


130  The  Book  of  Genesis 

or  rug  suspended  over  the  opening  of  the  tent,  curious  to  see  and 
hear  everything  that  goes  on.  The  curiosity  of  the  nomad  women, 
manifested  in  ways  such  as  this,  is  proverbial  Therefore  Sarah  is 
not  at  all  confused  when  in  vv.  12ff.  it  is  discovered  that  she  was 
behind  the  door.  She  merely  denies  that  she  had  laughed. 

The  Bible  tells  that  the  tent  door  was  behind  the  speaker,  to 
show  the  supernatural  knowledge  and  character  of  the  latter.  The 
three  strangers  had  come  to  Abraham  in  the  guise  of  ordinary  way- 
farers, and  he  had  received  them  as  such,  without  the  slightest 
suspicion  of  their  divine  character.  But  this  manifestation  of  super- 
natural knowledge,  and  the  further  evidence  that,  even  though  this 
stranger  had  never  visited  Abraham  before,  still  he  knew  Sarah's 
name,  and  could  ask  for  her,  and  also,  although  he  could  not  normally 
have  seen  Sarah  standing  behind  the  tent  door,  he  still  knew  that 
she  was  there,  and  furthermore,  that  she  had  laughed  at  his  words, 
even  though,  as  the  Bible  carefully  states,  Sarah  had  laughed  only 
to  herself,  all  these  manifestations  of  supernatural  knowledge  cause 
Abraham  to  realize  that  he  is  entertaining  no  ordinary  mortal  being, 
but  one  who  partakes  of  divinity.  This  truth,  it  is  implied,  dawns 
upon  Abraham  gradually,  and  leads  him  in  the  end  to  put  complete 
faith  in  the  stranger's  promise  of  a  son,  and  in  the  further  revelation 
of  the  doom  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah, 

Vv.  12ff.  The  incident  of  Sarah's  laughing  here  is  intended  to 
explain  the  name  Isaac.  This  name  in  Hebrew  means  "he  laughs". 
A  parallel  explanation  of  the  same  is  given  in  XVII,  17,  and  still 
another  in  XXI,  6. 

For  an  able  and  illuminating  discussion  of  the  interesting  subject 
of  Oriental  hospitality,  the  reader  is  referred  to  Trumbull,  Studies 
in  Oriental  Social  Life,  pp.  73-142. 


Sodom  and  Gomorrah  131 


IX 

SODOM  AND  GOMORRAH 

(Genesis    XVIII,    17— XIX) 

Shall  not  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  do  justly?  (Genesis  XVIII, 
25.) 

The  Lord,  the  Lord,  God,  merciful  and  gracious,  long-suffering 
and  abundant  in  goodness  and  truth,  keeping  mercy  unto  the  thou- 
sandth generation,  forgiving  iniquity  and  transgression  and  sin. 
(Exodus  XXXIV,  6-7.) 

Read  Psalm  XCIV,  9-12. 

We  learned  in  the  last  lesson  that  Isaac  was  God's  re- 
ward for  Abraham's  hospitality.  From  this  we  inferred, 
and  experience  proves  it  correct,  that  God  always,  sooner  or 
later,  rewards  righteous  deeds.  Likewise,  from  the  story  of 
the  flood  we  learned  that  God  also  punishes  wicked  deeds 
just  as  they  deserve.  God  has  placed  us  here,  and  has  given 
us  knowledge  of  right  and  wrong  and  many  other  precious 
gifts,  in  order  that  we  may  live  rightly,  and  bring  good  and 
happiness  to  our  fellow-creatures.  To  live  thus  and  to  do 
God's  will  is  good,  and  brings  reward  from  God.  Not  to 
live  thus  is  disobedience  of  God,  is  wrong  and  sin,  and  must 
bring  punishment  from  God.  So,  we  believe,  God  rules  the 
world  in  justice,  noting  the  acts  of  men,  and  meting  out 
reward  and  punishment  as  men  deserve. 

In  significant  contrast  to  Abraham's  righteousness  and 
God's  reward  therefor,  the  present  story  tells  of  the  wicked- 
ness of  the  inhabitants  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  and  of 
God's  punishment  of  them.  We  have  previously  heard  of 
these  cities,  of  the  beauty  and  fertility  of  their  land,  of 


132  ,      The  Book  of  Genesis 

their  defeat  by  the  four  kings  from  the  East,  and  of  the 
rescue  of  their  captured  men  and  women  and  the  restoration 
of  the  booty  by  Abraham.  Tradition  tells  how  very  wicked 
these  cities  were.  Because  of  the  productivity  of  their  land, 
they  had  become  very  wealthy.  But  unfortunately  they  had 
not  learned  from  experience  the  truth  of  the  wise  saying  of 
the  rabbis,  "Who  is  wise?  He  who  rejoices  in  his  portion." 
They  had  not  learned  to  rejoice  in  their  portion,  good  and 
pleasant  though  it  was,  but  instead,  as  happens,  alas,  so 
frequently,  their  very  wealth  had  made  them  dissatisfied  and 
covetous.  They  did  not  understand  that  riches,  too,  are  a 
gift  of  God,  given  by  Him  only  to  be  used,  like  all  His  gifts, 
for  some  purpose  of  good,  and  never  for  injustice  and  op- 
pression. Their  greed  had  made  them  selfish,  heartless  and 
unscrupulous.  Having  much,  they  thought  only  of  how  they 
might  get  more.  Nor  did  they  care  how  they  got  it.  They 
were,  so  the  rabbis  told,  particularly  wicked  in  their  treat- 
ment of  strangers.  If  a  stranger  came  to  their  city,  one 
man  would  take  some  small  thing,  of  so  little  value  that  it 
would  not  be  missed,  or  if  missed,  would  not  be  worth  com- 
plaining about.  Another  would  do  the  same,  and  still  an- 
other; and  soon  the  poor  stranger  would  be  robbed  of  every- 
thing, without  being  able  to  blame  any  one  person.  Or  if, 
perhaps,  he  did  complain,  it  did  not  avail.  For  the  judges 
themselves  were  wicked  and  corrupt,  and  always  received 
a  portion  of  the  stolen  goods.  "Therefore  they  invariably 
decided  against  the  stranger. 

And  not  only  strangers  did  the  Sodomites  treat  thus,  but 
even  the  poor  and  helpless  of  their  own  city.  The  rich  and 
powerful  knew  how  to  take  advantage  of  them  and  despoil 
them.  And  from  the  judges  the  poor  received  the  same 
treatment  as  strangers.  In  fact,  we  are  told,  a  law  had  even 
been  made,  that  whoever  would  give  food  or  lodging  or  as- 
sistance to  a  poor  man  or  a  stranger,  would  be  put  to  death. 
How  different  from  Abraham's  righteous  conduct,  and  how 


Sodom  and  Gomorrah  133 

contrary  to  the  fundamental  principles  of  justice  and  hos- 
pitality ! 

This  had  been  going  on  for  many  years.  Even  their 
escape  from  the  four  hostile  kings,  and  Abraham's  noble 
example  in  refusing  the  rich  reward  which  the  king  of 
Sodom  had  offered  him,  had  failed  to  make  them  realize  that 
there  is  something  in  life  far  better  than  mere  wealth.  So 
at  last  God  felt  that  He  must  destroy  them.  But  He  remem- 
bered His  promise  to  Noah,  never  to  bring  another  flood  to 
destroy  all  mankind.  Instead  He  determined  to  punish  only 
the  sinners,  but  to  spare  all  the  righteous  in  the  city. 

First,  as  we  know,  the  angels  came  to  Abraham  to  enjoy 
his  hospitality  and  to  test  him.  Having  tried  and  proved 
him,  they  announced  to  him  the  birth  of  Isaac.  At  the  same 
time  God  revealed  to  Abraham  His  intention  with  regard  to 
the  people  of  the  wicked  cities.  This  was  in  reality  another 
and  a  worthy  test  of  Abraham's  fitness  for  his  great  mis- 
sion. Not  the  righteous  and  the  well-doing  have  departed 
farthest  from  God,  and  therefore  stand  in  greatest  need  of 
the  ministrations  and  help  and  loving  guidance  of  God's 
servants,  but  the  wicked  and  the  evil-doers.  As  we  have 
learned,  the  principle  underlying  this  service  of  God  is  that 
of  eternal,  human  brotherhood.  All  men  are  our  brothers, 
be  they  who  they  may,  the  righteous  and  the  wicked  alike. 
It  is  easy  to  preserve  the  consciousness  of  brotherhood  with 
those  who  do  well.  But  we  are  all  too  prone  to  condemn 
the  wicked,  to  cast  them  off  and  leave  them  to  their  fate, 
and  to  feel  that  our  relationship  with  them  and  our  responsi- 
bility for  them  have  ceased.  But  it  is  not  true,  and  we  are 
still  our  brother's  keeper,  and  all  the  more  the  keeper  of 
that  weak  brother  who  can  not  keep  himself,  and  who,  with- 
out our  help,  must  be  lost  completely.  He  who  would  do 
God's  service  and  go  as  God's  messenger  unto  his  fellow- 
men,  must  have  a  great  heart,  filled  with  love  for  those  of 
his  brethren  who  need  him  most.  He  must  be  slow  to  con- 


134  The  Book  of  Genesis 

demn  and  quick  to  excuse  and  forgive.  He  must  never 
despair  of  the  eventual  regeneration  of  his  brothers,  no 
matter  how  hopelessly  wicked  they  may  seem,  but  he  must 
have  faith  that  with  God's  help  his  labors  will  not  be  in 
vain,  and  that  in  the  end  all  men  must  come  to  know  God 
truly  and  to  live  the  life  which  He  has  appointed  for  men. 
Only  he  who  possesses  such  boundless  love  and  compassion 
for  all  his  fellowmen  is  worthy  to  go  upon  the  mission  of 
God. 

Now  Abraham  knew  full  well  the  wickedness  of  the 
people  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah.  Nevertheless  his  loving 
heart  overflowed  with  pity  and  compassion  for  them,  and 
the  thought  of  their  destruction  moved  him  to  intercede  on 
their  behalf  even  with  God  Himself.  Possibly  some  right- 
eous men  might  be  found  in  the  cities,  fifty,  or  forty,  or 
thirty,  or  twenty,  or  perhaps  only  ten.  Yet  for  the  sake  of 
these  ten  the  city  should  be  forgiven.  For,  on  the  one  hand, 
these  few  righteous  men  might  yet  convince  the  people  of 
the  evil  of  their  ways,  and  cause  them  to  repent  and  return 
to  God.  And,  on  the  other  hand,  Abraham  said,  ''Shall  not 
the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  do  justly?"  And  true  justice 
must  always  be  tempered  by  mercy.  For  if  God  should 
judge  all  men  absolutely  according  to  their  merits,  who 
could  stand  before  Him  in  judgment?  What  man  doeth  good 
ever,  and  sinneth  not?  Everyone  does  wrong  at  times,  for 
no  man  is  perfect,  but  only  God.  And  unless  God  forgives, 
all  men,  in  strict  justice,  must  perish.  Surely  not  to  punish 
is  God's  desire,  but  to  forgive;  not  to  chastise  in  anger,  but 
to  pardon  and  correct  in  love.  So  Abraham,  we  are  told, 
pleaded  with  God.  And  when  he  had  made  an  end,  God 
caused  all  the  generations  of  old,  the  wicked  generation  of 
the  flood,  and  the  generation  of  the  Tower  of  Babel,  and 
all  those  which  came  after  that,  to  pass  before  his  eyes. 
Then  Abraham  saw  that  he  was  pleading  needlessly,  that  God 
had  always  judged,  not  in  strict  and  absolute  justice,  but  in 


Sodom  and  Gomorrah  135 

that  truer  justice,  which  is  ever  tempered  by  love  and  mercy 
and  forgiveness,  and  that  He  had  punished,  as  in  the  -story 
of  the  flood,  only  at  last,  when  He  saw  that  the  people  had 
become  completely  and  hopelessly  wicked  and  deaf  to  all 
thoughts  of  correction  and  repentance.  Nevertheless  Abra- 
ham had  not  pleaded  entirely  in  vain.  For  this  very  plead- 
ing had  proved  again  his  fitness  for  God's  service.  Even 
the  wicked  inhabitants  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  were  still 
his  brothers,  and  his  heart  was  still  filled  with  love  and 
compassion  for  them. 

After  revealing  God's  purpose  to  Abraham,  the  angels 
went  on,  slowly  and  reluctantly,  towards  Sodom.  So  great 
was  God's  sorrow  at  the  thought  of  destroying  His  children, 
even  though  they  were  wicked,  and  so  eager  His  hope  that 
at  the  last  moment  ten,  perhaps,  might  repent,  and  thus 
justify  His  sparing  the  cky,  that  the  angels'  journey,  which 
ordinarily  would  have  required  but  a  short  time,  took  many 
hours.  Thus,  the  good  rabbis  taught,  the  feet  of  God's  mes- 
sengers hasten  on  errands  of  mercy  and  blessing,  but  on 
errands  of  punishment  and  sorrow  they  lag. 

The  angels  reached  Sodom  just  at  dusk.  But  they  did 
not  destroy  the  city  immediately.  God  would  give  the  people 
one  more  chance  to  obtain  forgiveness.  So  the  angels  de- 
termined to  pass  the  night  in  the  city,  to  see  what  the  people 
would  do.  However,  not  a  citizen  of  Sodom  offered  them 
hospitality,  but  only  Lot,  himself  a  stranger,  and  therefore 
in  constant  danger  because  of  the  Sodomites'  habitual  treat- 
ment of  strangers.  In  fact,  we  do  not  know  just  how  they 
happened  to  allow  Lot  to  remain  in  their  midst.  Lot  had 
learned  the  lesson  of  hospitality  from  Abraham.  And  in 
almost  the  same  words  as  Abraham,  he  urged  the  strangers 
to  become  his  guests.  Thus  good  example  and  helpful  influ- 
ence always  beget  righteousness.  Lot's  conduct  was  in 
marked  contrast  to  that  of  the  Sodomites,  for  they  tried  to 
work  their  evil  desires  upon  the  strangers  and  even  threat- 


136  The  Book  of  Genesis 

ened  Lot  for  protecting  them.  They  had  proved  again  how 
hopelessly  sinful  they  were,  and  had  forfeited  their  last 
opportunity  to  obtain  forgiveness.  So  the  destruction  of  the 
city  followed.  First;  however,  God  provided  for  the  safety 
of  Lot  and  his  family.  But  when  Lot  tried  to  persuade  his 
sons-in-law  to  hearken  to  the  warning  and  to  flee  with  him, 
they  refused  and  mocked  at  him.  They  shared  completely 
in  the  wickedness  of  the  city,  and  therefore  merited  destruc- 
tion. 

So,  at  last,  God  was  compelled  in  justice,  though  in 
sorrow,  to  destroy  the  wicked  cities.  In  contrast  to  the 
judges  of  Sodom,  His  was  true  justice.  Yet,  just  as  Abra- 
ham had  pleaded,  like  all  true  justice  it  was  tempered  by 
mercy  and  the  desire  to  forgive.  So  God  always  judges, 
our  religion  teaches.  He  delights  to  reward  men  for  their 
goodness.  Only  in  sorrow,  and  only  late,  does  He  punish 
for  sin.  Always  He  holds  out  the  hope  -and  opportunity  for 
repentance,  and  always  He  longs  for  the  return  of  the 
sinner.  Always  His  patient  love  guides  the  affairs  of  men, 
and  always  He  sends  His  word  of  truth  and  right  and  for- 
giveness unto  them.  In  His  great  love  He  has  given  us  our 
Yom  Kippur,  our  Day  of  Atonement  once  each  year.  It  is 
the  constantly  recurring  symbol  of  His  love,  and  of  the 
opportunity  He  gives  us  to  obtain  forgiveness  and  begin 
anew  a  -life  of  righteousness  and  of  walking  with  Him. 
Upon  it  we  may  turn  to  Him  in  sorrow,  and  implore  pardon 
for  the  sins  of  the  past  year,  and  earnestly  resolve  to  live 
the  new  year  better.  Even  more  than  this,  the  rabbis  told, 
He  fixed  Yom  Kippur  ten  days  after  Rosh  Hashonah  for 
a  wise  and  loving  purpose.  On  Rosh  Hashonah  all  the 
world  must  pass  for  judgment  before  Him.  The  ten  days 
from  Rosh  Hashonah  to  Yom  Kippur  are  given  for  repent- 
ance and  return  to  God.  They  are  called  the  ascreth  y'mai 
fshuvah,  "the  Ten  Days  of  Repentance"  or  "Return".  If, 
during  these  days,  so  the  rabbis  taught,  one  truly  repents, 


Sodom  and  Gomorrah     .  137 

the  sentence  passed  on  Rosh  Hashonah  is  not  recorded ;  for- 
giveness is  his.  But  if  not,  the  sentence  is  recorded,  to  be 
preserved  for  the  final  reckoning.  But  even  this  can  be 
atoned  for  and  averted  by  repentance  and  righteous  deeds, 
for  God's  mercy  and  love  endure  forever,  and  ever,  just  as 
with  the  men  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  He  would  rather 
pardon  than  punish  His  beloved  children.  Therefore  our 
new  year  begins  with  joyful  thoughts  and  hopes  of  pardon 
and  forgiveness.  And  in  our  prayers  on  Yom  Kippur  the 
beautiful  words  from  our  Bible  occur  repeatedly,  "The 
Lord,  the  Lord,  God,  merciful  and  gracious,  long-suffering, 
and  abundant  in  goodness  and  truth,  keeping  mercy  unto 
the  thousandth  generation,  forgiving  iniquity  and  transgres- 
sion and  sin". 

But  true  repentance  means  not  merely  saying,  "I'm 
sorry".  It  means  not  merely  words  of  the  lips,  but  also 
deeds  of  the  heart  and  the  hand.  God  holds  out  the  hope  of 
repentance  and  pardon.  But  man  himself  must  truly  repent, 
and  show  by  his  life  that  he  deserves  pardon.  The  respon- 
sibility for  forgiveness  rests,  not  upon  God,  but  upon  man 
alone.  The  rabbis  told  of  a  wise  father  whose  son  had  com- 
mitted a  grievous  sin.  The  father  said,  "My  son,  you  have 
committed  a  great  wrong  and  deserve  punishment.  Yet  my 
love  prompts  me  not  to  punish  you  now.  I  will  try  you 
again.  If  you  never  do  wrong  again,  but  learn  from  your 
sin  to  live  nobly  and  usefully,  the  sin  shall  be  forgiven  and 
forgotten.  But  if  not,  and  at  last  I  see  that  you  will  not 
do  right,  then  I  must  punish  you  for  this  and  all  your  sins". 
So  God,  the  loving  Father,  judges  all  His  children,  and 
rewards  in  love  where  He  can,  but  punishes,  though  in  sor- 
row, when  He  must. 

We  have  learned  how  kind  and  generous  Abraham  was. 
Yet  this  kindness  and  love  may  not  be  compared  with  God's. 
One  day,  we  are  told,  Abraham  was  sitting  at  his  tent-door 
as  usual,  watching  for  whom  he  might  entertain.  Suddenly 


138  The  Book  of  Genesis 

he  saw  an  old,  old  man  tottering  along  the  road.  Abraham 
ran  to  him,  took  him  by  the  arm,  and  helped  him  to  his 
tent.  There  he  washed  the  old  man's  feet,  clothed  him  in 
fresh  garments,  and  set  a  generous  meal  before  him.  But 
to  his  surprise,  the  old  man  uttered  no  blessing  over  the 
bread,  nor  spoke  any  word  of  thanks  to  the  Giver  of  all  for 
the  good  he  had  received.  Indignantly  Abraham  asked, 
"Old  man,  why  do  you  not  thank  God  for  these  blessings?" 
The  old  man  replied,  "I  do  not  worship  your  God,  but  I 
pray  to  the  fire".  Then  in  wrath  Abraham  seized  the  old 
man  and  thrust  him  from  the  tent.  There  he  lay  all  through 
the  long,  dark,  stormy  night,  groaning  and  suffering.  At 
dawn  he  slowly  took  his  departure.  Suddenly  Abraham 
heard  God's  voice,  "Abraham,  why  didst  thou  treat  this 
poor,  old  man  thus?"  Abraham  answered,  "Because  he 
would  not  worship  Thee".  But  God  replied,  "He,  too,  is 
one  of  My  children.  I  have  borne  with  him  for  these  one 
hundred  years ;  couldst  thou  not  have  borne  with  him  for 
a  single  night?" 

So  the  wicked  cities  were  destroyed  by  God  in  justice, 
for  their  wickedness  and  unwillingness  to  repent.  Over 
their  site,  tradition  tells,  lies  the  Dead  Sea,  so  salty  that  no 
living  creature  can  exist  in  it,  and  no  bird,  it  is  said,  ever 
flies  across  it.  The  land  which  once  had  been  like  the  garden 
of  the  Lord  is  desolate  now.  So  sin  corrupts  everything  it 
touches. 

And  Lot,  who  had  done  God's  will,  escaped  with  his 
two  daughters.  Only  his  wife,  who  had  disobeyed  the  angels' 
last  command,  was  destroyed.  And  in  time  Lot's  reward  for 
his  righteousness  came.  For  among  his  descendants,  as  we 
shall  learn  later,  were  to  be  the  great  King  David,  and  also, 
so  the  prophets  and  the  rabbis  told  and  many  Jews  still  be- 
lieve, the  Messiah,  who  is  at  last  to  bring  in  the  age  when 
sin  and  sorrow  and  punishment  shall  be  no  more,  but  only 


Sodom  and  Gomorrah 


139 


140  The  Book  of  Genesis 

good  and  happiness  and  love  shall  obtain,  when  all  men  shall 
truly  walk  with   God,  and,  in  the  prophet's  inspired  words, 

The  earth  shall  be   full  of   the  knowledge  of  the  Lord, 
As  the  waters  cover  the  sea.     (Isaiah  XI,  9.) 

NOTES 

The  question  is  frequently  asked  whether  this  story  of  the  de- 
struction of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  is  literally  true.  Many  devout 
and  enthusiastic  travellers  have  laboriously  sounded  the  waters  of 
the  Dead  Sea  for  some  trace  of  the  lost  cities.  But  all  in  vain.  The 
reason  is  obvious.  A  little  mature  consideration  must  show  that  this 
is  not  history  but  mythology.  Just  as  with  the  creation  and  flood 
stories,  our  ancestors  laid  hold  of  an  ancient  myth,  adapted  it  to 
their  own  use,  and  made  it  the  vehicle  for  expressing  the  funda- 
mental principle  of  Judaism,  of  God's  justice,  tempered  by  His  desire 
for  mercy  and  forgiveness.  Certainly  it  adds  greatly  to  the  value 
of  the  story  to  understand  and  interpret  it  in  this  light. 

However,  inasmuch  as  the  topography  of  the  country  east  of  the 
Dead  Sea,  and  probably  also  the  deep  depression  of  the  Dead  Sea 
itself,  is  due  to  very  remote  volcanic  activity  and  other  geological 
disturbances,  it  may  well  be  that  the  ancient  myth  was  based  upon 
a  dim  reminiscence  of  this  fact. 

Chapter  XVIII,  22.  The  confusion  to  be  noted  here,  as  well  as 
in  the  earlier  verses  of  this  chapter,  between  God  speaking  as  if 
alone  "and  the  three  angels  in  human  form,  and  the  frequent,  and 
otherwise  inexplicable,  change  from  singular  to  plural,  are  due  to 
the  fact  that  the  story  in  its  present  literary  form  is  the  result  of 
the  combination  by  some  skillful  editor  of  two  ancient  versions  of 
this  myth.  One  version  told  that  God  alone  visited  Abraham,  while 
the  other  told  of  the  visit  of  three  angels.  Otherwise  the  two  ver- 
sions seem  to  have  been  practically  identical. 

Chapter  XIX,  1.  Lot  was  sitting  at  the  gate  of  the  city,  through 
which,  of  course,  all  travellers  had  to  enter.  The  rabbis  inferred 
from  this  that  Lot  practiced  hospitality  in  the  same  manner  as 
Abraham.  The  gate  of  the  city  was  and  is  still  the  common  meeting- 
place  in  Oriental  towns  and  cities  and  there  very  much  of  the  public 
business  is  transacted;  cf.  XXIII,  10;  XXXIV,  20;  I  Samuel  IV,  8; 
II  Samuel  XV,  2;  Psalm  LXIX,  13;  Proverbs  I,  21;  Job  XXIX,  7. 

V.  3.  By  "the  broad  place"  the  public  square  of  the  city  is 
meant.  The  gate  of  the  city  generally  opened  upon  this,  just  as 


Sodom  and  Gomorrah 


141 


here.  It  should  be  always  borne  in  mind  that,  as  the  excavations 
have  shown,  with  but  very  few  exceptions  the  towns  and  cities  of 
ancient  Palestine  covered  comparatively  small  areas.  Therefore  the 
public  square  itself  was  never  very  large,  nor,  at  the  most,  far  from 


The  Gate  of  an  Oriental  City 


the  city  gate.  Sodom  seems  to  have  been  a  larger  city  than  ordinary, 
since,  as  v.  4  tells,  it  was  divided  into  a  number  of  quarters.  Gen- 
erally in  large  cities  the  people  of  -various  occupations  had  each  their 
own  quarter;  cf.  Isaiah  XLVII,  15;  Jeremiah  XXXVII,  21. 

V.  17.  For  "the  Plain"  cf.  the  note  to  XIII,  12.  The  mountains 
on  either  side  of  the  Jordan  valley  rise  quite  abruptly  to  an  average 
height  of  approximately  3,500  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  Dead  Sea. 


142  The  Book  of  Genesis 

Vv.  18-23  are  really  an  interpolation  into  the  original  story,  and 
not  an  integral  part  of  it.  They  were,  inserted  probably  to  explain 
the  etymology  of  the  name  of  the  village  of  Zoar,  which  seemed 
miraculously  to  have  escaped  the  general  destruction.  Actually  they 
have  no  relation  to  the  story  proper,  and  even  seem  to  contradict 
some  of  its  details.  Zoar  is  represented  as  derived  from  the  Hebrew 
stem  sa'ar,  "to  be  little." 

V.  26.  Very  much  has  been  told  and  written  about  this  incident 
of  the  pillar  of  salt.  Most  of  this  is  altogether  fanciful,  and  with- 


The   Pillar   of    Salt 

out  the  slightest  basis  of  fact  or  history.  This  verse  is  probably  also  an 
interpolation,  similar  to  the  Zoar  episode.  Near  the  southern  end 
of  the  Dead  Sea  is  a  large  hill  of  salt,  today  known  to  the  Arabs  of 
the  vicinity  as  Gebel  Usdum  (Mountain  of  Sodom).  It  is,  of  course, 
the  product  of  centuries  of  deposit  of  salt  from  the  Dead  Sea.  Vivid 
imaginations  have  from  the  earliest  times  professed  to  see  the  like- 
ness of  a  woman  in  the  configuration  of  this  salt  hill.  Gradually  the 
tradition  arose  that  it  was  actually  a  woman  who  had  been  changed 
into  salt.  Ancient  Israelite  folk-lore  identified  this  woman  with  Lot's 
wife.  Of  course  there  is  not  the  slightest  historical  basis  to  this 
tradition. 

Vv.  27f.  From  the  highlands  of  Judah  one  can  easily  look 
across  the  valley  of  the  Dead  Sea  -to  the  mountains  of  Moab  on  the 
east. 


Sodom  and  Gomorrah  143 

V.  29  is  a  late  interpolation  into  the  original  story.  It  seeks  to 
tell  that  God  saved  Lot, -not  because  of  his  own  merits,  but  altogether 
for  Abraham's  sake. 

Vv.  30-38.  These  verses  are  undoubtedly  intended  to  be  an  ac- 
count, from  the  Israelite  standpoint  of  course,  of  the  origin  of  the 
two  kindred  peoples,  Moab  and  Ammon.  Inasmuch  as,  throughout 
Israel's  history,  Moab  and  Ammon  were  among  Israel's  most  con- 
stant and  troublesome  enemies,  it  is  not  at  all  surprising  that 
Israelite  tradition  should  ascribe  to  them  this  base  and  immoral 
origin. 


144  The  Book  of  Genesis 


X 

HAGAR  AND  ISHMAEL 
(Genesis  XVI  and  XXI,  9-21) 

And  God  heard  the  voice  of  the  lad.     (Genesis  XXI,  17.) 

My  son,  keep  the  commandment  of  thy  father, 
And  forsake  not  the  teaching  of  thy  mother; 
Bind  them  continually  upon  thy  heart, 
Tie  them  about  thy  neck. 

For  the  commandment  is  a  lamp,  and  the  teaching  is  light, 
And  reproofs  of  instruction  are  the  way  of  life.      (Proverbs  VI, 
20-24.) 

Read  Psalm  CXIV,  14-19. 

The  story  of  Hagar  and  Ishmael  was  probably  first  con- 
ceived to  account  for  the  well-recognized  kinship  of  Israel 
with  the  nomad,  Ishmaelite  tribes  of  the  desert.  The  tribes 
of  Israel,  which  later  came  out  of  the  Arabian  Desert  and 
settled  in  Palestine,  were  of  the  same,  or  kindred,  stock  as 
the  Ishmaelite  tribes,  which  remained  behind  and  continued 
to  live  as  wandering  nomads  with  their  sheep  and  camels. 
The  consciousness  of  this  common  stock  continued  until 
comparatively  late  in  Israel's  history.  The  present  story 
accounts  for  this  relationship  by  tracing  the  descent  of  both 
Ishmael  and  Israel  from  one  common  ancestor,  Abraham. 
The  traditional  relationship  between  Israel  and  Moab  and 
Ammon  has  already  been  accounted  for  by  a  similar  tradi- 
tion of  descent  from  a  common  ancestor  (XIX,  3.0-38). 
We  shall  learn  later  another  similar  tradition  which  ac- 
counted for  the  relationship  between  Israel  and  Edom. 

But   even   more,   the   story  of   Hagar   and   Ishmael   illus- 


Hagar  and  Ishmael  145 

trates  for  us  one  of  the  simplest,  yet  also  one  of  the  most 
fundamental,  beautiful,  and  eternal  of  human-  virtues,  a 
mother's  love.  The  picture  of  Hagar s  love,  and  of  her 
despair  and  anguish  at  the  thought  of  the  impending  death 
of  her  child  and  of  her  helplessness  to  relieve  his  suffering, 
touches  us  to  the  quick.  We  may  be  sure  that  Hagar  had 
spared  no  effort  to  keep  her  little  one  alive,  and  that  she 
had  denied  herself  of  the  food  and  water  in  order  to  give 
it  to  him.  And  childlike,  he  had  accepted  it  unquestioningly, 
not  understanding  nor  appreciating  his  mother's  sacrifice,  nor 
realizing  that  she  was  giving  her  very  life  for  him.  So 
children  always  do  more  or  less.  The  .fulness  of  a  mother's 
love  and  a  mother's  sacrifice  is  too  great  to  be  appreciated 
ever.  We  begin  to  understand  something  of  it  only  when 
we  become  parents  ourselves,  and  make  our  own  loving  sac- 
rifices for  our  own  children.  Yet  even  then  we  do  not  com- 
prehend all  that  our  dear  parents  have  done  for  us,  all  the 
tender  love  they  have  showered  upon  us. 

The  more  we  read  the  story  and  the  more  we  respond  to 
its  irresistible  call  for  sympathy,  the  more,  too,  the  realiza- 
tion grows,  that  Hagar  and  Hagar's  love  are  types,  types 
of  true  motherhood  and  true  mother's  love.  Especially  are 
they  types  of  the  Jewish  mother'  and  Jewish  parental  love 
and  capacity  for  sacrifice.  True,  Hagar  was  not  a  Jewess 
by  birth.  But  inasmuch  as  Jewish  law  and  lore  taught  that 
the  wife  lives  in  the  tent  or  house  of  her  husband  and  fol- 
lows completely  after  him,  the  Bible  undoubtedly  meant  to 
imply  that,  despite  the  accident  of  Egyptian  birth,  Hagar 
was  nevertheless  a  Jewess  in  thought  and  act.  Similarly 
Joseph's  wife  was  an  Egyptian  and  dwelt  in  Egypt,  yet  her 
offspring,  Ephraim  and  Manasseh,  are  represented  through- 
out the  Bible  as  quite  as  thoroughly  Jewish  as  any  of  the 
sons  oi  Jacob.  So,  too,  here  it  is  the  God  of  Israel  who 
cares  for  Hagar  and  her  son.  And  the  sentiments  and  vir- 
tues which  this  story  illustrates  have  always  been  recognized 


146  The  Book  of  Genesis 

by  our  ancestors  and  by  the  world  as  animating  the  Jewish 
people  to  an  unusually  high  degree.  As  Hagar,  so  every 
Jewish  mother,  and  every  Jewish  father,  too,  act,  and  of 
such  sacrifice  for  their  children  they  have  ever  shown  them- 
selves capable.  Therefore  the  expression  has  become  prover- 
bial, "a  mother  in  Israel",  i.  e.,  the  true  Jewish  mother,  the 
highest  type  of  motherhood  the  world  has  ever  known.  It 
is  indeed  something  to  be  proud  of,  that  throughout  all  ages 
our  Jewish  mothers  and  fathers  have  set  before  the  world 
the  standard  of  true  motherhood,  and  fatherhood.  Our  Bible 
is  rich  in  stories  of  Jewish  fathers  and  Jewish  mothers.  It 
tells  of  Jacob  and  his  undying  love  for  his  son  Joseph,  of 
the  tender  love  of  the  mother  of  Moses  for  her  little  baby, 
of  Hannah  and  her  earnest  prayer  that  God  might  bless  her 
with  a  child,  upon  whom  she  might  bestow  her  mother  love, 
of  the  old  king  David,  whose  love  for  his  son  could  not  be 
quenched,  even  despite  the  latter's  heartless .  treatment  of 
his  aged  and  trusting  father.  We  shall  hear  all  these  stories 
in  time,  and  therefore  need  not  recount  them  here. 

However,  two  stories,  told  by  the  rabbis  of  old,  to  illus- 
trate how  true  and  undying  is  a  Jewish  parent's  love,  may 
be  related  here.  They  told  that  when  Joseph  was  sold  as 
a  slave,  and  was  being  brought  down  to  Egypt,  the  road  led 
past  the  tomb  of  Rachel,  his  mother,  who  had  died  when 
he  was  a  mere  baby.  Just  opposite  the  tomb  he  suddenly 
broke  away  from  his  captors,  and  ran  and  threw  himself 
down  upon  his  mother's  grave  and  wept  bitterly,  and  called 
upon  her  for  help,  even-  though  he  knew  that  she  could 
not  hear.  But  the  rabbis  told;  and  they  were  very  wise  and 
knew  best,  that  still  she  did  hear,  for  her  love  for  her  boy 
was  not  dead.  And  from  out  the  tomb,  it  seemed  to  him, 
there  came  words  of  comfort  and  cheer,  bidding  him  not 
despair,  for  this  was  all  in  accordance  with  God's  will,  and 
success  and  blessing  were  still  in  store  for  him.  The  story 
is  true ;  a  mother's  love,  at  least,  never  dies.  Long  after 


Hagar  and  Ishmael  147 

she  has  passed  to  her  eternal  reward,  her  love  lives  on  and 
on  in  the  lives  of  her  children,  and  her  gentle  words  of  coun- 
sel and  admonition  are  a  lamp,  which  guides  them  through 
all  the  darkness  upon  the  way  of  life.  Therefore  the  Bible 
says  truly, 

My  son,  keep  the  commandment  of  thy  father, 

And  forsake  not  the  teaching  of  thy  mother ; 

Bind  them  continually  upon  thy  heart, 

Tie  them  about  thy  neck. 

For  the  commandment  is  a  lamp,  and  the  teaching  is  light, 

And  reproofs  of  instruction  are  the  way  of  life. 

The  other  story  told  that  when  God  called  to  Moses  for 
the  first  time,  He  did  not  speak  in  His  own  voice,  for  He 
feared  that  this  might  frighten  Moses.  Nor  would  He  use 
too  weak  a  voice,  lest  Moses  should  pay  little  attention,  or 
fail  to  recognize  His  true  glory.  So  He  called  to  Moses  in 
the  voice  of  his  father,  for  He  knew  that  to  this  gentle 
and  loving  voice  Moses  could  answer  only  in  accents  of 
respect  and  tender  affection.  If  only  we  are  observant,  we 
can  see  our  father's  love  and  our  mother's  love,  and  can 
hear  it,  too,  not  only  in  their  actions  and  in  the  many  things 
they  do  for  us,  but  even  in  the  sound  and  inflection  of  their 
voices,  when  they  speak  to  us  or  about  us,  and  in  the  light 
which  shines  in  their  eyes  when  they  look  at  us,  or  even 
think  of  us.  This  is  the  traditional  love  of  Jewish  fathers 
and  Jewish  mothers,  which  has  ever  made  them  happy  in 
their  many  sacrifices  for  the  sake  of  their  children.  Many, 
many  stories  may  be  told  of  this  love,  and  many  examples 
may  be  given.  Each  child,  if  only  made  to  think  for  a  mo- 
ment, must  know  some  instances  of  father  love  and  mother 
love  from  his  own  experience.  And  we  can  understand 
that  in  wisdom  and  truth  the  Bible  commands,  "Honor  thy 
father  and  thy  mother". 

One  more  thought  this  story  suggests.  God  had  prom- 
ised that  Ishmael,  too,  like  Isaac,  should  become  the  pro- 


148  The  Book  of  Genesis 

gcnitor  of  a  numerous  and  mighty  people.  Yet  despite  this 
promise,  it  seemed  at  one  moment  that  the  child  was  on  the 
point  of  perishing  of  thirst.  In  vain  the  distracted  mother 
sought  to  still  his  cries ;  in  vain  she  called  upon  God  for 
help;  in  vain  she  besought  Him  to  be  mindful  of  His  prom- 
ise. It  seemed  to  her  as  if  God  did  not  hear,  or  would  not 
hear  Small  wonder  if  she  doubted  or  lost  faith.  But  just 
when  it  seemed  that  in  another  moment  the  child  must  die, 
God  opened  her  eyes,  and  she  beheld  the  life-giving  well  of 
water  for  which  she  had  prayed.  God  had  heard  her  cries ; 
He  was  indeed  a  God  of  mercy  and  faithfulness,  who  cares 
for  the  suffering,  the  outcast,  and  the  helpless,  and  none  of 
His  promises  remain  unfulfilled.  Nay  more,  the  well  had 
been  there  continually,  only  in  her  blindness  she  had  not 
seen  it  until  God  opened  her  eyes. 

So  it  is  with  many  people.  Our  eyes  are  closed  to  God's 
countless  blessings,  and  we  vainly  call  upon  Him  to  satisfy 
our  needs.  Yet  if  we  would  but  open  our  eyes  and  see  all 
the  blessings  which  God  does  shower  upon  us,  all  His  boun- 
ties with  which  we  may  satisfy  our  needs,  we  would  not 
doubt,  nor  murmur,  nor  cry  for  more,  but  we  would  bravely 
set  to  work  to  use  what  God  has  given  us,  and  to  strengthen 
ourselves  thereby  for  the  great  tasks  for  which  He  has 
created  us. 

The  word  of  God  is  sure.  As  one  of  the  greatest  of  the 
prophets  said, 

As  the  rain  cometh  down  and  the  snow  from  heaven, 

And  returneth  not  thither, 

Except  it  water  the  earth, 

And  maketh  it  bring  forth  and  bud, 

And  give  seed  to  the  sower  and  bread  to  the  eater ; 

So  shall  My  word  be  that  goeth  forth  out  of  My  mouth: 

It  shall  not  return  unto   Me  void, 

Except  it  accomplish  that  which   I  please, 

And  make  the  thing  whereto  I  sent  it  prosper.     (Isaiah  IV,  10-11.) 

The    truth    of    this    we    learned    in    the    story    of    the    flood, 


Hagar  and  Ishmael  149 

when  God  watched  over  all  those  in  the  ark,  and  though  it 
had  neither  sail  nor  rudder  nor  helmsman  nor  sailors,  still 
it  floated  along  upon  the  mighty  waters,  safe  and  firm  under 
God's  protection.  We  learn  this  truth,  too,  from  the  story 
of  the  exodus  from  Egypt.  Though  the  mighty  Pharaoh 
and  his  army  shut  the  people  in  behind,  and  the  beating  sea 
barred  their  way  in  front,  and  to  go  either  backward  or  for- 
ward, it  seemed,  meant  destruction,  still  God,  in  His  mercy 
and  faithful  to  His  promise,  made  a  path  for  Israel  through 
the  depths  of  the  sea,  and  led  His  people  on  to  safety  and 
freedom.  We  learn  it  also  from  the  story  of  the  prophet 
Elijah.  Though  the  whole  land  hungered  because  of  the 
drought,  and  though  he  had  to  flee  and  hide  for  his  life 
before  the  vengeful  king  and  queen,  none  the  less  he  was 
safe  in  God's  loving  care,  and  was  fed  by  the  ravens  who 
did  God's  bidding.  And  we  learn  this  truth,  too,  from  this 
story  of  Hagar  and  Ishmael,  from  the  significant  words, 
"And  God  heard  the  voice  of  the  lad",  and  from  the  name, 
Ishmael,  "God  hears". 

The  wise  teachers  and  rabbis  in  Israel  used  to  tell  many 
wonderful  tales,  which  showed  God's  never-failing  provi- 
dence and  loving  care  of  all  His  creatures.  But  far  more 
than  in  such  stories  and  miracles,  which  seemed  to  exemplify 
a  special  providence  of  God,  they  delighted  in  pointing  to 
the  manifold  instances  of  God's  bounty  and  blessing,  which 
come  to  us  ceaselessly  day  by  day,  and  which  alone  make 
living*  possible.  They  told,  for  example,  that  even  though 
the  farmer  wears  himself  out  with  plowing,  harrowing,  sow- 
ing, pulling  weeds,  harvesting,  binding  the  sheaves,  and 
threshing,  still  all  his  labor  would  be  vain,  did  not(  God  send 
a  little  wind  to  help  winnow  the  grain  and  separate  the 
wheat  from  the  chaff.  "And  God  heard  the  voice  of  the 
lad".  As  the  Psalmist  said, 

He  giveth  to  the  beast  his  food, 

And  to  the  young  ravens  which  cry.     (Psalm  CXLVIT,  9.) 


150  The  Book  of  Genesis 

He  hearkens  to  our  voice  when  we  call  upon  Him ;  He  sat- 
isfies our  needs  and  gives  us  strength  to  do  His  work.  Day 
by  day  His  love -watches  over  us  and  His  providence  never 
fails  us.  His  countless  blessings  come  to  us  constantly  in 
overflowing  measure,  if  only  we  open  our  eyes  to  see  and 
our  minds  to  understand.  Again  in  the  Psalmist's  words, 

The  Lord  upholdeth  all  that  fall, 

And  raiseth  all  those  that  are  bowed  down. 

The  eyes  of^all  wait  for  Thee, 

And  Thou  givest  them  their  food  in  due  season. 

Thou  openest  fhy  hand, 

And  satisifiest  every  living  thing  with  favor. 

The  Lord  is  righteous  in  all  His  ways, 

And  gracious  in  all  his  works. 

The  Lord  is  nigh  unto  all  them  that  call  upon  Him, 

To  all  that  call  upon  Him  in  truth. 

He  will  fulfil  the  desire  of  them  that   fear  him; 

He  also  will'  hear  their  cry,  and  will  save  them. 

And  the  story  suggests  still  one  other  thought.  God's 
command  had  come  to  Abraham  to  send  away  Hagar  and 
Ishmael.  His  heart  was  torn,  for  Hagar  was  his  wife  and 
the  mother  of  Ishmael,  and  Ishmael  was  his  son,  and  he 
loved  them.  Nay  more,  he  felt  a  stern  sense  of  duty  to 
provide  for  them  and  protect  them,  just  as  the  true  husband 
and  father  always  feels.  But  according  to  the  standards  and 
practices  of  those  days,  Sarah  had  the  right  to  derrland  that 
Hagar,  her  handmaid,  be  put  away  because  of  her  arrogant 
conduct,  and  her  son,  Ishmael,  with  her.  And  God  had 
bidden  Abraham  do  as  Sarah  had  demanded.  He  was  torn 
between  two  duties,  the  duty  to  protect  and  cherish  Hagar 
and  Ishmael,  and  the  duty  to  do  as  Sarah,  his  first  and  chief 
wife,  had  the  right  to  demand,  and  as  God  Himself  had  bid- 
den him  do.  Which  duty  should  he  perform?  His  own 
desire  and  feeling  for  his  offspring  bade  him  keep  Hagar 
and  Ishmael,  and  care  for  them  at  all  costs,  even  in  defiance 
of  Sarah's  right  and  of  God's  bidding.  A  voice  within  kept 


Hagar  and  Ishmael  151 

whispering,  "This  is  your  duty  quite  as  much  as  that".  But 
another  voice  answered  sternly,  "Yes,  that  is  a  duty;  but  it 
is  a  greater  duty  to  hearken  to  God's  word,  and  to  give  to 
Sarah,  who  has  the  first  claim  upon  you,  and  who  has  ever 
shared  with  you,  faithfully  and  loyally,  all  the  hardships  and 
trials  which  have  come  to  you,  that  which  she  has  a  perfect 
right  to  demand."  As  the  wise  prophet  told  Saul,  the  king, 
when  the  latter  had  disobeyed  God's  command,  and  had  of- 
fered sacrifices  which  he  thought  would  be  pleasing  unto  God, 

Hath  the  Lord  as  great  delight  in  burnt-offerings  and  -sacrifices, 

As  in  hearkening  -to  the  'voice  of  the  Lord? 

Behold,  to  obey  'is  better  than  sacrifice, 

And  to-  hearken  than  the  fat  of  -rams.     (I  Samuel  XV,  22.) 

It  is  hard  to  resist  temptation,  when  it  comes  in  the 
alluring  garb  of  pleasure  and  gratification  of  desire.  But  it 
is  harder  far  to  resist  temptation  when  it  comes  in  the  guise 
of  duty,  and  bids  us  do  it  and  neglect  the  greater,  harder, 
less  pleasing,  and  more  costly  duty.  Time  and  again  we  are 
confronted  with  conflicting  duties  and  are  forced  to  make 
our  choice  between  them.  A  voice  within  keeps  urging  us  to 
choose  the  easier  and  more  agreeable  duty ;  after  all,  that  is 
duty,  too,  and  little  duties  must  be  performed  as  well  as 
great  duties ;  there  is  equal  merit  in  both,  and  both  are  pleas- 
ing to  God.  But  the  other  voice  keeps  insisting  that  this  is 
the  greater  and  more  urgent  duty,  and  it  must  be  per- 
formed first  at  all  costs.  It  is  the  hardest  choice  in  life  to 
make.  Nevertheless  we  must  all  make  this  choice  time  and 
again.  How  shall  we  decide?  There  is  but  one  way,  the 
way  which  Abraham  chose,  to  put  aside  all  selfish  consid- 
erations of  ease  and  pleasure  and  personal  desire,  and  deter- 
mine honestly  and  uncompromisingly  which  is  the  greater 
and  more  urgent  duty,  which  is  truly  God's  bidding,  and 
then  to  do  that  duty  steadfastly  and  conscientiously,  regard- 
less of  the  cost.  It  is  a  hard  and  bitter  trial,  which  must 


152  The  Book  of  Genesis 

come  to  all  of  us  repeatedly,  to  prove  our  true  worth  and 
fitness  for  God's  service.  It  always  means  pain  and  sorrow, 
and  leaves  a  scar  which  never  heals,  as  the  mark  of  the 
battle  of  the  soul  which  we  have  had  to  fight.  But  all  life 
is  in  a  very  true  sense  a  ceaseless  battle  in  the  cause  of 
duty,  and  we  can  not  go  through  this  battle  unwounded  and 
without  scars.  It  is  the  battle  which  tries  and  proves  us, 
and  purges  the  evil  of  weakness,  selfishness,  and  cowardice 
from  our  souls,  and  makes  us  men  and  warriors  and  true 
servants  of  God.  This  was  another  and  a  severe  trial  of 
Abraham,  possibly  the  most  severe  which  he,  had  had  to 
endure  thus  far.  And  again  he  had  withstood  the  test 
nobly,  and  had  proved  himself  worthy  to  go  upon  the  mis- 
sion of  God. 

NOTES 

The  question  is  often  raised,  but  more  often  by  the  thoughtless 
teacher  than  by  the  thoughtful  pupil,  "Did  Abraham  do  right  in 
yielding  to  Sarah's  request,  and  sending  Hagar  and  Ishmael  away?" 
Judging  by  modern  standards,  of  course  he  did  wrong.  But  it  is 
ridiculous,  as  well  as  unfair,  to  apply  modern  standards  to  ancient 
conditions.  According  to  modern  standards  it  was  wrong,  also,  for 
Abraham  to  take  more  than  one  wife.  But  we  knc<v.T  that  it  was  in 
full  accord  with  ancient  practice.  Equally,  Sarah's  request  that 
Hagar  and  Ishmael  be  sent  away,  and  Abraham's  compliance,  were 
in  accord  with  ancient  law  and  standards.  Certainly  the  Biblical 
authors  had  no  feeling  that  Abraham  had  done  anything  at  all  wrong. 
The  story  betrays  not  the  least  indication  thereof.  On  the  contrary, 
the  Bible  tells  that  Abraham  was  induced  to  hearken  to  Sarah's  re- 
quest by  the  very  word  of  God,  and  by  the  divine  assurance  that  God 
would  protect  Ishmael  and  make  of  him  also  a  great  people.  The 
story  depicts  no  more  than  Abraham's  touching  grief  and  solicitude 
at  the  thought  of  sending  his  two  loved  ones  away,  and  also  repre- 
sents. Abraham  as  enduring  another  bitter  trial  and  test  of  faith  and 
worth.  It  is  good  to  know  that  the  rabbis  told  that  Abraham  was 
later  reunited  with  Ishmael  in  a  way  (cf.  Ginzberg,  The  Legends 
of  the  Jews,  I,  266),  and  that  the  Bible  itself  tells  that  at  Abraham's 
death  Ishmael  rejoined  Isaac,  in  order  to  share  with  him  the  sad 


Hagar  and  Ishmael  153 

but  loving  duty  of  laying  the  body  of  their  father  in  its  eternal  rest- 
ing-place (XXV,  9).  In  view  of  all  this,  the  good  teacher  will  know 
how  to  present  this  story  in  the  spirit  in  which  it  was  written.  And 
should  some  thoughtful  child  question  Abraham's  conduct,  she  will 
understand  how  to  answer. 

For  the  general  understanding  of  the  story  it  should  be  borne  in 
mind  that  in  the  Orient,  and  also  in  the  true  Jewish  household, 
children  are  considered  the  supreme  blessing.  A  childless  couple  is 
regarded  as  unfortunate  and  unhappy  indeed.  Hence  the  longing  of 
Rachel  and  of  Hannah  for  a  child.  It  seems  to  have  been  a  not 
uncommon  practice  for  a  childless  woman  to  give  one  of  her  maids 
to  her  husband  as  a  second  wife,  and  to  regard  the  children  of  this 
union  as  her  own.  The  story  of  Jacob  and  Leah  and  Rachel  fur- 
nishes another  instance  of  this  practice.  The  maid,  in  such  case, 
continued  subject  to  her  mistress,  even  though  she  had  actually  born 
children.  A  similar  practice  existed  among  the  ancient  Babylonians, 
and  still  today  obtains  among  certain  Arab  tribes;  cf.  Musil,  Arabia 
Petraea,  III,  225. 

XVI,  7.  Shur  is  the  district  at  the  Isthmus  o£  Suez  on  the  border 
of  Egypt. 

V.  12  pictures  the  wild,  tribal  state  of  the  nomad  tribes  in  the 
Arabian  Desert. 

XXI,  6.  Another  attempt  to  account  for  the  name  Isaac;  cf.  note 
to  XVIII,  12. 

V.  8.  In  the  Orient  children  are  weaned  generally  at  about  the 
age  of  three  years.  This  is  usually  an  occasion  for  rejoicing  and 
feasting,  just  as  is  described  here. 

V.  9.  The  rabbis  told  that  Sarah  beheld  Ishmael  mocking  Isaac 
as  he  wept;  hence  her  sudden  hatred  of  the  boy. 

Vv.  13  and  14  are  very  difficult  of  exact  translation,  and  their 
meaning  is  altogether  uncertain.  They  picture  the  most  primitive 
conception  of  the  deity  in  ancient  Israel,  that  of  a  god  who  lives  in 
one  fixed  place,  and  whose  power  extends  only  over  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  his  abode.  Such  a  god  was  ordinarily  conceived  of  as 
dwelling  in  a  spring,  a  rock  of  unusual  appearance,  or  a  tree  of 
extraordinary  size.  Here  the  deity  is  represented  as  being  actually 
the  god  of  the  well;  hence  the  peculiar  name  of  the  latter,  "The  well 
of  the  Living  One  who  seeth  me".  The  story  in  its  original  form 
implied  that  not  only  did  Hagar  not  see  .the  well  at  ifirst,  but  also 
that  she  had  no  intimation  that  a  god  dwelt  in  this  spot  until  he- 
revealed  himself  to  her.  A  strikingly  similar  idea  is  contained  ir 
the  original  form  of  the.  story  of  Jacob  at  Bethel,  XXVIII.  10-22 


154  The  Book  of  Genesis 


com- 


This  primitive  conception  of  local  gods  Israel  outgrew  at  a 
paratively  early  period  of  its  religious  evolution.  Those  wishing  to 
investigate  tbis  subject  in  greater  detail  may  consult  Robertson  Smith, 
The  Religion  of  the  Semites  (2nd  edition).  The  exact  location  of 
the  well  can  not  be  determined.  For  the  probable  locations  of  Kadesh 
and  Bered  consult  the  articles  under  these  headings  in  Hastings' 
Dictionary  of  the  Bible,  and  also  the  biblical  geographies  cited  in 
the  bibliography,  pp.  35f. 

V.  19.  "And  God  opened  her  eyes",  i.  e.  caused  her  to  see  the 
well,  which  had  been  there  constantly,  but  which  she  had  somehow 
not  noticed.  It  does  .not  mean  that  God  suddenly  created  this  wel 

V.  20.     The   Ishmaelites   were  supposedly  renowned  archers. 

V.  21.  The  Wilderness  of  Paran  was  the  ancient  name  for  the 
desert  of  the  Sinaitic  Peninsula.  The  Bible  represents  it  as  the 
traditional  wandering  ground  of  the  Ishmaelite  tribes.  Actually, 
however,  these  tribes  wandered  over  the  northern  half  or  two  thirds 
of  the  vast  Arabian  Peninsula.  The  Mohammedan  Arabs  claim 
descent  from  Ishmael,  and  Mohammedan  tradition  holds  that  the 
well  which  God  revealed  to  Hagar  was  the  sacred  well  of  Zemzem 
at  Mecca,  the  holy  city  of  the  Mohammedans. 

It  is  now  recognized  by  scholars  that  XVI  and  XXI  contain,  not 
the  accounts  of  two  separate  flights  of  Hagar  from  Sarah's  house- 
hold, but  two  independent  versions  of  one  and  the  same  event. 
This  is  clear  from  the  fact  that  the  same  incidents,  such  as  the  an- 
nouncement of  the  glorious  future  of  Ishmael  and  his  descendants, 
are  found  in  each  version. 

A  few  discrepancies  and  anachronisms  are  readily  apparent,  such 
as  that  in  the  opening  verses  of  XX  Ishmael  is  represented  as  a  lad 
of  thirteen  years,  and  therefore  practically  grown  to  man's  estate, 
according  to  Oriental  standards,  whereas  in  the  story  proper  he  is 
still  an  infant,  unable  to  care  for  himself,  and  cast  away,  helplessly, 
to  die  under  a  bush.  Of  course  these  two  passages  are  the  work 
of  two  different  writers  and  belong  to  two  originally  distinct  versions 
of  the  Ishmael  story.  In  presenting  the  story  the  teacher  must  use 
judgment  in  avoiding  all  such  difficulties. 


The  Sacrifice  of  Isaac  15' 


XI 

THE  SACRIFICE  OF  ISAAC 
(Genesis  XXII,  1-19) 

Here  am   I.      (Genesis  XXII,   1.) 

For  My  thoughts  are  not  your  thoughts, 

Neither  are  your  ways  My  ways,  saith  the  Lord. 

For  as  the  heavens  are  higher  than  the  earth, 

So  are  My  ways  higher  than  your  ways, 

And  My  thoughts  than  your  thoughts.     (Isaiah  IV,  8-9.) 

Read  Psalm  CXXI. 

As  was  stated  in  the  Introduction,  one  central  theme  runs 
through  the  entire  Abraham  cycle  of  stories.  It  is  the 
thought  that  God  tried  Abraham  repeatedly,  to  prove  his  fit- 
ness for  the  great  task  for  which  he  had  been  called.  Each 
trial  thus  far  had  tested  Abraham  in  a  different  way.  He 
had  stood  the  first  test  of  faith ;  he  had  proved  his  ability  to 
subdue  his  own  inclinations  and  passions  in  order  to  pre- 
serve peace  with  kinsmen  and  f  ellowmen ;  he  had  shown 
conclusively  that  he  would  serve  for  the  sake  of  duty  alone, 
and  without  thought  of  reward ;  he  had  demonstrated  his 
hospitality,  generosity,  and  consciousness  of  brotherhood,  his 
eagerness  to  pursue  after  duty,  as  well  as  to  perform  it 
when  it  came  to  him,  his  all-embracing  love  and  compassion 
for  his  fellowmen,  even  when  they  were  sinners,  his  readi- 
ness to  put  duty  to  God  above  everything  else.  But  one  test 
more  was  necessary  to  complete  God's  trial  of  Abraham. 
Would  he  give  up  at  God's  behest  that  which  was  to  him  the 
very  dearest  thing  in  all  life?  The  story  of  the  sa^-:ficr  of 


156  The  Book  of  Genesis 

Isaac  is  the  answer  to  this  question.  It  is  the  climax  of 
the  Abraham  cycle  of  stories. 

This  story,  like  that  of  the  garden  of  Eden,  is  recognized 
as  one  of  the  classics  of  the  world's  literature.  The  author's 
art  is  incomparable.  Although  the  story  proper  is  told  in 
only  fifteen  short  verses,  it  is  complete  and  perfect  in  every 
detail.  The  little  artless  child,  with  his  simple,  naive  ques- 
tions, trusting  so  implicitly  in  his  old  father,  and  the  father, 
silent  and  grief-stricken,  yet  steadfast  in  his  faith  in  God, 
command  our  admiration  and  sympathy.  We  constantly  ask 
ourselves,  "Will  the  old  man  actually  sacrifice  his  beloved 
son,  and  will  God  allow  him  to  do  so?"  Isaac's  simple  ques- 
tion, "Where  is  the  lamb  for  the  sacrifice?"  is  dramatic  in 
the  extreme.  It  expresses  the  very  point  of  the  story.  And 
equally  dramatic  is  Abraham's  answer,  "God  will  provide 
the  lamb".  For  all  unconsciously,  in  these  words,  as  well  as 
in  those  to  the  two  servants,  "I  and  the  lad  will  go  yonder; 
and  we  will  worship  and  come  back  to  you",  Abraham  has 
hinted  at  the  real  outcome  of  the  story.  He  thought  at  the 
moment  that  he  alone  would  come  back.  But  actually  both 
were  to  return.  The  ancient  rabbis  said  that  through  pro- 
phetic inspiration  Abraham  foretold  the  true  end  of  the 
journey.  But  had  Abraham  thus  foreseen  the  outcome  of 
this  adventure,  there  would  have  been  no  real  trial  of  his 
faith,  and  no  point  to  this  story.  And  so  we  know  that  the 
dramatic  effect  of  his  words  is  due  entirely  to  the  author's 
consummate  art. 

But  besides  surpassing  artistic  merit,  the  story  itself  is, 
because  of  the  spiritual  lesson  it  conveys,  sublime  and  in- 
spiring to  the  highest  degree.  Hardly  any  other  story  in 
the  Bible  equals,  and  certainly  none  -  surpasses  it  in  this  re- 
spect. Partly  because  of  this,  this  chapter  has  become  the 
traditional  passage  from  the  Torah  read  in  every  synagogue 
on  Rosh  Hashonah. 

Historically   the   story   had   a   twofold   purpose.      On    the 


The  Sacrifice  of  Isaac  157 

one  hand,  as  has  been  stated  in  the  Introduction,  it  was  de- 
signed to  combat  what  was  in  the  9th,  8th  and  7th  centuries 
B.  C,  an  ever-growing  evil,  the  horrible  practice  of  child- 
sacrifice.  The  Books  of  Kings  tell  how  prevalent  this  prac- 
tice was  in  Israel  at  this  time.  This  story  was  first  conceived 
and  written  down  in  the  9th  century  B.  C.  as  a  strong 
protest  against  this  awful  custom,  and  to  show  that  God 
does  not  demand  child-sacrifice,  but,  at  the  most,  only  some 
fitting  animal,  as,  for  instance,  a  ram  or  a  lamb.  And  on 
the  other  hand,  the  story  was  in  time  expanded  and  spirit- 
ualized, and  made  to  show  that  dearer  to  God  than  even  the 
richest  animal  sacrifice  is  the  sacrifice  of  the  heart,  perfect 
faith  in  Him  and  willingness  to  obey  His  word,  readiness  to 
answer  His  call,  even  before  its  purpose  be  known,  with  the 
unfailing  "Here  am  I",  and  to  give  up  for  Him  what  is  best 
and  dearest,  even  one's  only,  beloved  child.  As  the  Psalmist 
said, 

Offer   the   sacrifices   of   righteousness, 

And  put  your  trust  in  the  Lord.      (Psalm  IV,  6.) 

How  well  the  story  succeeded  in  its  twofold  purpose,  is  self- 
evident. 

When  God  had  commanded  Abraham  to  leave  forever 
birthplace  and  father's  house  and  loved  ones  at  home,  and 
wander  forth,  he  knew  not  whither,  it  had  been  a  severe 
trial.  It  had  been  a  more  severe  trial  when  God  had  bidden 
him  hearken  to  Sarah's  word,  and  send  Hagar  and  Ishmael 
forth  into  the  barren  wilderness,  to  what  fate  he  knew  not. 
But  this  trial  was  harder  far,  for  now  God  demanded  his 
and  Sarah's  only  son,  for  whom  they  had  hoped  and  prayed 
for  so  many  years,  and  who  had  been  granted  to  them  only 
in  old  age,  after  they  had  long  given  up  all  hope.  Now, 
after  but  a  few  years  of  happiness,  in  which  they  had  learned 
to  idolize  the  boy,  and  had  conceived  the  fondest  hopes  for 
his  future,  came  the  command  to  sacrifice  him.  It  meant 


158  The  Book  of  Genesis 

the  end  of  all  their  hopes  and  happiness ;  it  meant  that  their 
old  age  must  be  dark  and  cheerless,  and  that,  when  at  last 
their  end  would  come,  there  would  be  no  loved  one  to  follow 
them  sorrowfully  to  their  last  resting-place.  Surely  they 
could  hope  for  no  more  children.  Small  wonder  had  they 
hesitated,  and  even  refused  to  make  the  sacrifice.  But  Abra- 
ham did  not  falter  nor  question  God's  will.  His  faith  in 
God  was  stronger  even  than  his  love  for  his  son.  Slowly 
and  sorrowfully  he  obeyed  the  divine  command,  and  never 
once  did  he  doubt  or  seek  to  turn  back  on  his  sad  and  hope- 
less journey. 

It  might  be  asked,  "Why  should  God  try  Abraham  again, 
and  so  cruelly?  Was  not  the  first  hard  test  of  his  faith, 
which  he  had  stood  so  well,  sufficient?"  It  is  a  difficult  ques- 
tion to  answer.  We  can  not  understand,  nor  judge,  nor 
even  question  God's  motives  and  God's  ways.  This  story 
brings  home  the  full  truth  of  the  prophet's  words, 

For   My  thoughts  are  not  your  thoughts, 
Neither  are  your  ways  My  ways,  saith  the  Lord. 
For  as  the  heavens  are  higher  than  the  earth, 
So  are  My  ways  higher  than  your  ways, 
And  My  thoughts  than  your  thoughts.  . 

We  can  not  understand  God's  ways,  nor  dare  we  even 
question  them.  We  can  only  trust  with  absolute  faith  that 
He  knows  best,  and  that  His  purpose  is  good  and  wise,  even 
though  we  may  not  understand,  and  even  though  it  may 
seem  hard  and  harsh.  This  is  what  Abraham  did,  and  he 
has  deservedly  become  Israel's  and  the  world's  inspiring 
model  of  true  faith  in  God. 

Yet  the  rabbis  did  ask  themselves,  "Why  did  God  try 
Abraham  again  and  again?"  And  they  gave  a  very  wise 
answer.  "When  the  potter  bakes  his  vessels  in  the  kiln, 
which  does  he  test  to  see  if  they  are  well  made,  the  best  or 
the  worst?  Surely  the  best,  from  which  he  expects  the  most. 
So,  too,  God  tried  Abraham  severely,  just  because  He  ex- 


The  Sacrifice  of  Isaac  159 

pected  so  much  from  him  and  from  his  descendants,  the 
children  of  Israel". 

But  not  only  Abraham  did  God  try  thus.  He  tries  every- 
one in  some  way.  Some  He  tries  just  as  severely  as  He 
tried  Abraham.  Others,  from  whom,  perhaps,  He  expects 
not  quite  so  much,  He  tries  less  severely.  But  all  people 
must  be  tried  in  some  way,  and  their  fitness  for  God's  serv- 
ice proved.  A  wise  and  good  rabbi  of  old,  it  is  told,  suf- 
fered very  much.  He  was  blind  and  crippled  in  hands  and 
feet,  and  was  dependent  upon  others  for  everything.  Many 
additional  misfortunes,  too,  befell  him.  Yet  of  everything 
he  said,  gam  zu  I'tovah,  "This,  also,  is  for  good".  That 
was  complete  trust  in  God. 

*-  The  following  story  is  told  of  his  pupil,  the  well-known 
Rabbi  Akiba.  He  was  compelled  by  persecution  to  leave 
his  home  and  wander  about  in  a  sparsely  settled  country, 
with  only  an  ass,  upon  which  he  rode,  a  cock  which  would 
wake  him  in  the  morning,  and  a  lamp,  by  the  light  of  which 
he  used  to  study  the  Torah  until  late  into  the  night.  Once, 
just  at  nightfall,  he  came  to  a  village  and  asked  for  lodging. 
But  the  churlish  people,  very  much  like  the  inhabitants  of 
Sodom,  refused,  and  Rabbi  Akiba  was  compelled  to  spend 
the  night  shelterless  in  a  nearby  wood.  He  consoled  himself 
with  the  thought,  "God  is  just ;  no  doubt,  as  my  beloved 
master  taught  me,  this,  too,  is  for  good".  He  lit  his  lamp 
and  prepared  to  study.  But  scarcely  had  he  commenced, 
when  a  sudden  gust  of  wind  blew  out  the  light,  and  he 
could  not  rekindle  it.  So  he  lay  down  to  sleep.  Soon  a 
wolf  came  and  killed  the  cock ;  then  a  lion  carried  away 
the  ass.  But  Rabbi  Akiba  piously  remarked,  "This,  too, 
must  be  for  good",  and  he  thanked  God  for  having  spared 
his  life.  Early  in  the  morning  he  arose  and  went  back  to 
the  village  to  purchase  food.  But  to  his  surprise,  he  found 
not  a  single  person  alive.  During  the  night  robbers  had 
killed  all  the  inhabitants  and  carried  away  all  their  property. 


160  The  Book  of  Genesis 

Then  Rabbi  Akiba  understood,  and  once  more  he  thanked 
God  for  having-  saved  his  life.  For  he  said,  "Had  they  not 
refused  me  lodging,  I  would  have  been  killed  with  them. 
And  had  not  the  wind  put  out  my  light,  and  the  animals 
killed  my  companions,  the  robbers  might  have  seen  me  study- 
ing, or  heard  the  cock  crow  or  the  ass  bray,  and  would  have 
captured  me.  Praised  be  God,  who  does  everything  for 
good". 

God  tries  everyone  in  some  way.  Nor  must  we  imagine 
at,  as  with  Abraham,  at  the  last  moment  our  sacrifice  will 
not  be  required.  Generally  our  sacrifice  is  accepted.  And 
the  real  test  is  in  the  way  we  offer  our  sacrifice,  the  willing- 
ness with  which  we  give  up  what  is  dear,  the  perfect  faith 
in  God  which  we  still  preserve,  and  which  keeps  us  from 
doubting  His  wisdom  and  goodness. 

At  times  God  even  demands  the  very  same  sacrifice  which 
He  asked  of  Abraham,  dearly  beloved  children,  or  even  an 
only  child.  Of  course  He  does  not  ask  that  the  parent  sac- 
rifice his  child  with  knife  in  hand.  Nevertheless  it  is  a  sac- 
rifice indeed  to  give  up  a  darling  child  or  some  other  loved 
one  at  God's  behest,  probably  the  very  greatest  sacrifice. 
Just  as  with  Abraham,  it  is  always  the  hardest  test  of  faith. 
Some  make  the  sacrifice,  not  willingly,  of  course,  -but  with 
resignation  and  perfect  faith  that  God  knows  best,  even  as 
Abraham  did.  Others  doubt  and  question,  and  say,  "God 
can  not  have  done  this",  or  "God  is  unjust  and  cruel",  or 
"There  can  be  no  God,  for,  otherwise,  He  would  not  have 
let  this  sorrow  befall  me".  But  we  must  remember  that  we 
can  not  understand  God's  motives  nor  His  ways. 

As  the  heavens   are  higher  than  the   earth, 
So  are  My  ways  higher  than  your  ways, 
And  My  thoughts  than  your  thoughts. 

This  is  the  true  faith,  which  enables  us  to  endure  all  trials 
and  stand  all  tests,  and  prove  ourselves  fit  and  ready  for  the 


The  Sacrifice  of  Isaac  161 

great  work  for  which,  sooner  or  later,  God  calls  everyone 
of  us. 

To  everyone  some  trials  must  come.  We  may  not  realize 
that  they  are  trials,  and  we  may  rebel  and  refuse  to  make 
our  sacrifices ;  and  we,  too,  may  doubt  whether  God  has 
done  this,  or  whether  a  just  God  could  allow  this  misfortune 
or  unhappiness ;  or  we  may  ask  complainingly,  ''What  have 
we  done  to  deserve  all  this?"  But  if  we  would  only  think, 
"Perhaps  God  is  trying  us,  to  see  how  much  of  real  faith 
and  real  manhood  we  have,,  and  how  fit  and  ready  we  are 
to  do  the  great  and  worthy  tasks  which  He  has  in  store  for 
us ;  perhaps  this,  too,  is  for  good,  even  though  we  can  not 
understand  it  fully",  if  only  we  would  think  this,  it  would 
help  us  bear  our  burdens  and  grow  stronger,  better,  and 
wiser  from  all  our  trials. 

One  other  thought  suggests  itself.  God  has  placed  us 
here,  we  have  learned,  not  for  mere  pleasure,  but  for  a 
definite  purpose,  to  do  His  work  and  make  the  world  better 
and  happier.  God's  purpose  is  sure.  And  we  are  the  tools 
with  which  He  accomplishes  His  purpose.  Now,  have  you 
ever  stood  before  the  watchmaker's  shop,  and  seen  Him 
wield  his  little,  delicate  tools  so  softly  and  so  gently  that 
they  barely  seem  to  move  or  to  feel  his  touch?  And  then 
have  you  stood  before  the  blacksmith's,  shop  and  seen  him 
lift  his  heavy  hammer  aloft,  with  muscles  stretched  and 
taut,  and  bring  it  down  with  all  his  might,  until  the  sparks 
fly  in  all  directions,  and  both  hammer  and  anvil  ring  and 
quiver?  We  are,  all  of  us,  the  tools  in  God's  hands,  some, 
perhaps,  the  little,  watchmaker's  tools,  which  He  wields  so 
softly  and  gently  that  we  barely  feel  His  touch,  and  our 
trials  and  sorrows  are  light  and  easily  borne.  And  others 
are  the  blacksmith's  hammer  and  anvil,  with  which  He  deals 
His  mighty  blows,  and  we,  too,  must  suffer  and  writhe  and 
groan  at  the  stroke.  But  neither  hammer  nor  anvil  nor 
watchmaker's  tool  can  know  the  purpose  of  its  master,  why 


162  The  Book  of  Genesis 

it  is  used  as  it  is;  nor  can  we  know  the  purpose  of  our 
Master,  why  some  He  tries  so  lightly  that  they  barely  feel 
His  touch,  and  to  others  He  deals  His  heavy  blows,  blow 
upon  blow,  until  they  tremble  and  writhe  and  cry  out  in 
pain.  Yet  the  Master's  purpose  is  sure,  is  wise  and  good, 
and  laden  with  blessing  for  all  mankind,  greater  far  than 
all  our  suffering.  Of  this  we  may  be  certain,  and  in  Him 
we  should  ever  trust.  And  perhaps,  as  the  rabbis  suggested, 
those  whom  He  is  calling  for  His  greatest  work,  He  tries 
most  severely,  to  see  if  they  are  ready  and  fit. 

And,  as  the  story  implied,  not  only  Abraham  was  tried, 
but  also  Isaac.  For  it  must  have  been  indeed  a  severe  trial 
and  test  of  Isaac's  faith  and  courage,  when  he  felt  himself 
bound  upon  the  altar,  and  beheld  the  knife  in  his  father's 
hand,  upraised  to  take  his  life.  In  that  moment  he  might 
well  have  -  doubted  his  father's  love,  and  questioned  God's 
wisdom  and  providence.  But  the  rabbis  told  that,  although 
only  a  lad,  Isaac  never  faltered  nor  lost  faith,  not  even  for 
a  single  moment.  Bravely  and  loyally  he  urged  his  father 
to  be  steadfast  in  the  performance  of  his  duty,  and  to  strike 
the  blow  which  would  sacrifice  him  at  God's  command. 
Thereby  he  proved  himself  a  worthy  son  of  Abraham,  equal 
to  his  father  in  faith  in  God  and  unflinching  devotion  to 
duty,  and  fit  to  become  his  successor  in  the  service  for  which 
God  had  called  Abraham  and  his  posterity. 

And  not  Abraham  and  Isaac  alone  has  God  tested  by 
this  most  bitter  trial,  but  also  their  descendants,  the  children 
of  Israel.  All  Israel  God  has  called  as  His  servant,  and 
charged  to  do  His  work  and  be  a  blessing  unto  all  mankind, 
even  as  He  called  to  Abraham.  And  all  Israel  God  has  tried 
continually,  to  learn  whether  they  were  ready  and  fit.  Israel 
has  suffered  greater  hardship  and  oppression  than  any  other 
people  upon  the  earth.  For  thousands  of  years  Israel  has 
been  driven  from  place  to  place,  homeless,  friendless,  and 
persecuted.  Time  and  again  Jewish  fathers  and  mothers 


The  Sacrifice  of  Isaac  163 

have  had  to  sacrifice  even  their  beloved  children,  and  time 
and  again  they  have  made  the  sacrifice  unhesitatingly  and 
unquestioningly,  in  the  spirit  of  Abraham  of  old.  Israel 
has  never  lost  faith  in  God.  Ever  it  has 'trusted  and  ever 
it  has  repeated,  "This,  too,  is  for  good;  this,  too,  is  God's 
will,  and  in  accordance  with  His  divine  purpose  of  wisdom, 
goodness,  and  love  for  all  men".  Ever,  when  the  clouds 
seemed  darkest,  and  their  sufferings  too  heavy  to  bear,  they 
comforted  themselves  with  the  thought  of  God's  protection 
and  promise,  and  repeated  in  perfect  faith  the  words  of  the 
Psalmist, 

I  will  lift,  up  mine  eyes  unto  the  mountains : 

From  whence  shall  my  help  come? 

My   help   cometh   from   the   Lord, 

Who  made  heaven  and  earth. 

He  will  not  suffer  thy   foot  to  be   moved ; 

He  that  keepeth   thee  will  not  slumber. 

Behold,  He  that  keepeth  Israel 

Doth  neither  slumber  nor  sleep. 

This  has  ever  been  Israel's  faith  in  God,  exemplified  in  this 
beautiful  story  of  Abraham,  our  great  father. 

And  on  Rosh  Hashonah,  our  sacred  New  Year's  Day, 
the  blasts  of  the  Shofar  remind  us  of  Abraham's  sacrifice, 
and  of  God's  promise  to  him.  According  to  tradition,  the 
Shofar  was  first  made  from  the  horn  of  the  very  ram  which 
Abraham  sacrificed  in  place  of  Isaac.  Therefore  the  Shofar 
on  New  Year's  Day  proclaims,  unto  Israel  and  all  mankind, 
peace  and  forgiveness,  and  a  new  period  of  life  and  faith 
in  God. 

The  spot  on  Mt.  Moriah  where  Abraham  erected  his  altar 
became  later,  so  the  rabbis  told,  the  field  of  the  two  brothers, 
about  whom  we  have  already  heard,  and  the  site  of  the 
glorious  Temple  of  Solomon.  The  spot  which  was  sanctified 
by  Abraham's  faith  and  devotion,  and  by  the  mutual  love 
of  the  two  brothers,  was  deemed  worthy  of  becoming  the 


164  The  Book  of  Genesis 

place  where  Abraham's  descendants  might  later  bring  their 
sacrifices  to  God,  and  consecrate  themselves  to  His  service, 
just  as  Father  Abraham  did  of  old. 

XOTES 

V.  2.  The  land  of  Moriah;  presumably  in  the  vicinity  of  Jeru- 
salem, where,  in  historical  times,  Mt.  Moriah,  the  Temple  mount,  was 
located. 

Here,  too,  just  as  in  the  story  of  his  call,  Abraham  does  not 
know  exactly  whither  he  is  going.  But  he  relies  on  God's  word,  that 
at  the  right  moment  He  will  point  out  the  proper  mountain  upon 
which  to  offer  the  sacrifice.  The  rabbis  told  that  as  Abraham  drew 
near  the  end  of  his  journey,  he  saw  the  pillar  of  fire,  in  which  God 
was  later  to  lead  Israel  through  the  desert,  upon  the  top  of  one  of 
the  mountains.  He  asked  Isaac  if  he  saw  it  too,  and  Isaac  answered 
that  he  did.  But  the  two  servants,  when  questioned,  replied  that  they 
saw  nothing.  Then  Abraham  realized  that  this  was  no  ordinary 
mountain,  but  the  one  destined  for  the  sacrifice,  and  that  the  pillar 
of  fire  symbolized  God's  presence,  revealed  to  him  and  Isaac  alone. 
It  is  a  beautiful  thought  that  God's  presence  is  revealed  to  those  who 
live  and  work  in  perfect  faith  in  Him,  and  who  seek  Him  with  their 
whole  heart. 

V.  3.  The  saddle  consisted  only  of  a  small  piece  of  cloth  fastened 
to  the  animal's  back.  Elaborate  saddles  with  stirrups  were  unknown 
in  the  East.  As  is  still  customary  in  the  Orient,  only  the  old  man 
rode;  the  others  accompanied  him  on  foot. 

V.  6.  It  was  necessary  to  carry  ifire  from  the  hearth  at  home, 
since  in  those  days  fire  was  not  easily  kindled.  Wood,  too,  had  to 
be  carried  with  them,  since  in  Palestine  wood  is  very  scarce,  and  so 
not  easily  gathered. 

V.  13.  The  rabbis  told  that  this  ram  had  been  one  of  the  things 
created  by  God  at  twilight  of  the  eve  of  the  Sabbath  of  creation. 
It  was  created,  they  fold,  just  that  it  might  offer  itself  at  this 
moment  for  sacrifice  in  place  of  Isaac. 

Vv.  .14-18  are  really  an  interpolation  into  the  original  story,  and, 
on  the  whole,  rather  detract  from  than  add  to  the  merit  of  the 
narration.  The  story  is,  much  more  complete  and  artistic  if  we  read 
v.  19  immediately  after  v.  13.  This  must  have  been  the  original 
form  of  the  story. 


The  Death  of  Sarah  165 


XII 
THE  DEATH  OF  SARAH 

(Genesis  XXIII) 

And  Abraham  came  to  mourn  for  Sarah,  and  to  weep  for  her. 
(Genesis  XXIII,  2.) 

The  memory  of  the  righteous  shall  be  for  a  blessing.  (Proverbs 
X,  7.) 

Read   II   Samuel  XIX,   1-5. 

It  is  told  of  a  rabbi  of  old  that  he  boasted,  "Never  have 
I  called  my  wife  'Wife'  nor  my  home  'Home',  but  I  have 
always  called  my  wife  'Home'  and  my  home  'Wife'  ".  It  is 
indeed  a  beautiful  thought,  for  above  all  else,  our  Jewish 
women,  our  Jewish  wives  and  mothers,  make  the  true  Jew- 
ish home,  recognized  by  all  the  world  as  the  truest,  noblest, 
and  most  beautiful  and  inspiring  example  of  all  that  the 
home  can  and  should  be.  All  the  love  and  holiness  and  in- 
spiration, which  radiate  from  our  Jewish  wives  and  mothers, 
sanctify  our  homes,  and  make  of  them  temples  hallowed  by 
God's  very  presence. 

An  ancient,  rabbinical  legend  beautifully  illustrates  the 
influence  of  the  wife  and  mother  in  the  home.  While  the 
father  goes  to  the  synagogue  on  Friday  eve  to  offer  homage 
unto  God,  and  to  thank  Him  for  the  blessings  of  the  past 
week,  and  to  implore  His  protection  and  favor  for  the  week 
to  come,  the  mother  usually  remains  at  home  to  supervise 
all  preparations  for  the  joyous  Sabbath,  and  just  at  dusk 
to  kindle  the  Sabbath  lights,  the  symbols  of  Sabbath  glad- 
ness and  Sabbath  blessing  in  the  home.  -Then  she  and  the 


166  The  Book  of  Genesis 

children  wait  expectantly  to  greet  their  loved  one.  And  as 
he  enters  the  home  and  feels  its  holy  spirit  of  love  enfolding 
him,  reverently  he  lays  his  hand  in  blessing,  first  upon  the 
head  of  his  wife,  and  then  upon  each  child,  and  silently  he 
thanks  God  once  more  for  all  this  love  and  blessing.  But, 
the  wise  rabbis  told,  the  man  never  returns  home  alone ; 
two  angels  always  accompany  him,  his  angels  of  good  and 
of  evil.  If  he  finds  the  table  beautifully  spread,  as  it  should 
be,  the  Sabbath  candles  kindled,  and  wife  and  children  in 
festive  array  and  festive  spirit,  joyfully  awaiting  his  bless- 
ing, then  the  good  angel  says,  "May  this  Sabbath  and  all 
thy  Sabbaths  be  for  blessing.  Peace  be  on  this  house,  peace 
and  joy  to  every  soul  therein".  And  the  angel  of  evil  must 
respond,  "Amen".  But  if  the  house  be  not  ready,  if  the 
table  be  not  spread,  nor  the  Sabbath  lights  kindled,  and  if 
wife  and  children  be  not  waiting  with  the  smile  of  love  upon 
their  lips,  then  the  angel  of  evil  speaks,  "May  this  Sabbath 
and  all  thy  Sabbaths  be  for  sorrow,  and  may  no  blessing 
abide  within  this  home".  And  to  this  the  angel  of  good 
must  sadly  whisper,  "Amen".  Truly  it  is  the  wife  and 
mother  who  makes  our  Jewish  home  all  that  it  is,  and  brings 
the  manifold  blessing  of  love  and  happiness  to  it.  And  when 
God,  in  His  wisdom,  takes  her  unto  Himself,  then  it  seems 
that  all  that  was  good  and  precious  in  life  has  departed. 

So  Abraham  must  have  thought  when  the  moment  of 
separation  from  his  beloved  Sarah,  the  wife  of  his  bosom, 
the  companion  of  his  trials  and  perils,  the  partner  of  his 
love  and  grief,  she  who  was  his  own  other  self,  and  dearer 
to  him  than  self,  came.  The  whole  story  is  told  in  one  little 
sentence,  "And  Abraham  came  to  mourn  for  Sarah,  and  to 
weep  for  her".  Yet  the  little  sentence  overflows  with  mean- 
ing. We  feel  all  Abraham's  grief  and  sense  of  loss  and 
loneliness.  The  rabbis  told  that  with  Sarah's  death  the  cloud 
which  symbolized  God's  presence,  which  had  hovered  over 
the  tent  of  Abraham  and  filled  it  with  the  blessings  of  con- 


The  Death  of  Sarah  167 

tentment  and  peace,  departed;  the  light  which  Sarah  had 
kindled  on  the  Sabbath  eve,  and  whose  radiance  glorified  the 
tent  throughout  the  entire  week,  was  extinguished ;  the  bless- 
ing which  had  rested  upon  the  dough  and  other  food,  and 
ensured  plenty  and  abundance  for  both  the  inmates  and  the 
stranger  who  might  seek  its  shelter,  ceased;  and  the  doors 
of  the  tent,  which  had  ever  stood  wide  open  for  the  poor 
and  needy,  inviting  and  summoning  them  to  hospitality  and 
protection,  were  closed  tightly.  She  who  had  sanctified,  the 
tent  by  her  presence,  and  had  made  of  it  a  true,  Jewish 
home,  was  gone.  And  Abraham  grieved. 

Yet  even  in  his  grief  he  did  not  complain.  Still  he  trusted 
in  God  and  His  goodness,  and  still  he  realized  that  this,  too, 
must  be  for  good.  He  thought  of  all  the  long,  happy  years 
he  and  Sarah  had.  had  together,  and  of  the  great  blessing 
which  had  come  to  them  in  their  old  age,  in  the  person  of 
their  beloved  son,  Isaac.  And  he  realized  that  all  this  hap- 
piness and  blessing  had  come  from  God,  that  Sarah  herself, 
and  her  love  and  companionship  had  been  given  to  Him  by 
God  as  the  greatest  blessing  of  his  life.  And  so  he  must 
have  murmured,  as  has  every  pious,  God-fearing  Jew  since 
then, 

The  Lord  gave,   and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away; 

Blessed   be   the    name    of    the   Lord.      (Job    1,   21.) 

These  words,  our  Bible  tells  us,  were  first  spoken  by  the 
greatest  sufferer  of  all.  And  ever  in  sorrow  and  separation, 
our  fathers  have  trustingly  repeated  them,  and  thanked  God 
for  all  the  blessing  which  was  theirs  from  Him  for  so  long 
a  time.  It  is  a  beautiful  view  of  life,  and  the  truest  view 
too. 

All  that  is  good  and  precious,  even  the  love  of  dear  ones, 
comes  from  God,  is  but  lent  to  us  for  a  time,  and  must  be 
given  back  when  He  in  His  wisdom,  demands.  Not  even 
our  loved  ones  may  we  keep  with  us  forever.  Yet  when  the 
moment  of  separation  comes,  instead  of  complaining,  or 


168  The  Book  of  Genesis 

doubting,  or  questioning,  should  we  not  thank  God  for  all 
the  love  and  blessing  which  He  has  given  us  for  so  many 
years ;  and  should  we  not  still  trust  in  Him,  as  did  Abraham, 
and  believe  that  even  this,  hard  though  it  be,  must  also  be 
for  good,  even  though  we  can  not  understand?  We  may 
grieve  and  mourn,  as  Abraham  did,  but  still  we  must  trust 
in  God,  and  thank  Him  for  all  His  goodness  and  love. 

The  following  story  is  told  of  Rabbi  Meir,  the  greatest 
disciple  of  Rabbi  Akiba,  and  his  beloved  wife,  Beruria.  One 
Friday  evening  Rabbi  Meir  came  home  from  the  synagogue, 
expecting  to  be  met  at  the  door  as  usual  by  his  beloved  wife, 
and  their  two  boys,  the  idols  of  their  eyes,  all  waiting  to 
receive  his  Sabbath  blessing.  But  on  this  evening  Beruria 
alone  welcomed  him.  In  answer  to  his  question  where  the 
boys  were,  she  said  that  they  had  gone  away  for  a  moment, 
but  that  they  two  would  meanwhile  eat  their  evening  meal. 
So  they  sat  down  together.  Suddenly  Beruria  said,  "Rabbi, 
I  must  ask  a  question.  Some  time  ago  a  friend  entrusted 
to  me  some  priceless  jewels  for  safekeeping.  I  had  them  so 
long  that  I  thought  he  would  never  want  them  again,  and 
that  I  might  keep  them  forever.  Now  he  has  demanded  them 
back.  Must  I  return  them?"  "Surely  you  must",  said  her 
husband.  Without  a  word  she  took  him  by  the  hand  and 
led  him  into  the  next  room,  where,  upon  the  bed,  cold  in 
death,  lay  the  two  boys,  the  priceless  jewels  which  the 
Friend  of  all  had  entrusted  to  them  for  a  time,  and  had 
taken  back  when  He  needed  them.  The  wise  rabbi  under- 
stood, and  together  they  bowed  their  heads  and  thanked 
God  for  the  love  and  happiness  He  had  given  them  in  their 
boys  during  all  these  precious  years.  Truly  the  Lord  giveth, 
and  taketh  away  again,  and  truly  for  all  this,  for  all  the 
happiness  and  blessing,  which  come  with  the  love  and  com- 
panionship of  our  dear  ones,  may  the  name  of  the  Lord  be 
praised. 

One  more  lesson  this  story  teaches,  a  truth  upon  which 


The  Death  of  Sarah  169 

Judaism  has  ever  laid  great  emphasis.  The  Bible  tells  that 
Abraham  came  to  mourn  for  Sarah,  and  to  weep  for  her. 
But  it  tells,  too,  that  after  the  first  strong  passion  of  grief 
was  spent,  "Abraham  rose  up  from  before  his  dead".  True 
grief  is  beautiful  and  sacred.  It  is  the  token  of  thankful 
appreciation  of  the  rich  blessing,  which  God  has  given  us 
for  a  time  in  the  love  of  our  dear  ones;  our  tears  'are  the 
tender  tribute  of  affection  for  those  who  might  be  with  us 
but  a  while.  True  grief  hallows  and  ennobles  and  clears  the 
vision,  so  that  we  may  see  deeper  and  with  greater  under- 
standing and  broader  sympathy  into  the  problems  and  sor- 
rows and  needs  of  life. 

But  grief,  indulged  in  too  long,  becomes  base,  ignoble  and 
selfish.  It  loses  its  sanctifying  power;  it  narrows  and  ob- 
structs the  vision,  and  confines  and  stunts  the  soul.  We 
become  self -centered;  we  think  only  of  our  own  grief  and 
our  own  sorrow,  and  indulge  ourselves  in  them,  until  this 
becomes  the  normal  course  of  our  life,  and  to  depart  there- 
from is  difficult  and  painful,  and  causes  unrest  and  discon- 
tent. We  refuse  to  believe  that  others  have  grief  and  sor- 
rows, too,  like  ours,  or  even  surpassing  ours,  and  we  cease 
to  feel  for  them  and  to  think  of  them.  We  wrap  ourselves 
up  in  the  dark,  forbidding  cloud  of  our  grief,  and  live  apart 
by  ourselves,  and  lose  entirely  the  consciousness  of  brother- 
hood with  our  fellowmen  and  of  the  duty  of  serving  them. 
We  forget  that  God  has  created  us  for  a  purpose,  and  that 
this  purpose  is  not  to  indulge  ourselves  in  grief,  but  like 
Abraham,  after  the  first  bitter  pain  of  sorrow  has  passed, 
to  rise  up  from  before  our  dead,  and  resume  the  ordinary 
tasks  and  duties  of  life,  to  live  in  the  world  among  our 
fellowmen,  and  bring  unto  them  help  and  cheer  and  blessing. 
We  are  here  on  this  earth,  not  to  grieve  too  much,  but  to 
serve.  And  though  our  loved  ones  were  precious  to  us,  and 
our  grief  is  sincere  and  deep,  and  can  never  cease  com- 
pletely, nevertheless  it  is  our  duty  to  thank  God  for  the 


170  The  Book  of  Genesis 

love  which  was  ours,  to  rejoice  in  the  hallowing  memory  of 
our  dear  ones,  which  abides  with  us  forever,  and  to  ap- 
proach the  tasks  of  life,  which  still  exist  for  us,  with  stronger 
faith,  deeper  insight,  and  holier  consecration  to  the  service 
of  God.  Thus  alone  can  we  rear  unto  our  loved  ones  an 
imperishable  monument  in  the  hearts  and  lives  of  men,  so 
that  their  memory  shall  be  for  a  blessing,  even  as  the  Bible 
says. 

So  Abraham  mourned  and  grieved.  But  bravely  he 
faced  the  years  of  loneliness  ahead,  and  prepared  to  bury 
his  beloved  Sarah.  It  must  be  a  fitting  sepulchre.  So  he 
bought  the  Cave  of  Machpelah  in  Hebron  for  four  hundred 
shekels  of  silver,  a  very  large  sum  of  money  for  those  days. 
Thus  the  Cave  of  Machpelah  passed  into  the  possession  of 
Abraham  and  his  descendants,  and  there  not  only  Sarah,  but 
Abraham,  too,  and  his  children  after  him  for  three  genera- 
tions, were  buried.  Ever  since  the  Cave  of  Machpelah  has 
been  a  place  of  veneration  for  the  descendants  of  Abraham, 
and  ever  they  have  pilgrimed  thither  and  shown  their  rever- 
ence for  the  memory  of  their  great  and  noble  ancestors. 

And  our  religion  teaches  that  after  all,  death  is  not  the 
end,  but  only  the  beginning  of  another  existence.  When  one 
of  our  great  ancestors  passed  away,  the  Bible  says,  "He 
was  gathered  to  his  fathers",  not  only  in  the  family  sepul- 
chre, where  their  bodies  were  laid  to  rest,  but  in  the  great, 
eternal  life  of  the  spirit,  which  knows  no  end  and  no  separa- 
tion, but  only  God's  reward  and  God's  blessing.  And  some- 
how, even  here  on  earth,  death  is  not  the  end.  The  rabbis 
said  of  Jacob,  "Jacob,  our  father,  never  died".  And  in  a 
sense  this  is  true  of  every  righteous  man.  For  the  blessing 
he  has  wrought  during  lifetime  still  continues  among  those 
who  knew  and  loved  him,  and  his  memory  lives  on  for  years 
and  generations,  inspiring  all  to  lives  of  nobility  and  useful- 
ness similar  to  his.  Truly  our  Bible  says, 

The  memory  of  the  righteous  shall  be  for  a  blessing. 


The  Death  of  Sarah  171 

And  when  our  time  comes  to  go  hence  and  stand  at  last 
in  the  presence  of  our  Maker,  may  we  go  like  Sarah  and 
Abraham  and  Jacob  and  all  the  patriarchs  of  old,  leaving 
behind  us  some  to  mourn  for  us  and  to  weep,  and  a  memory 
which  shall  be  for  a  blessing  unto  those  who  come  after  us. 
Then  we  shall  not  have  lived  in  vain,  but  shall  have  realized 
the  purpose  for  which  God  placed  us  here  on  earth  and  gave 
us  life;  then  through  us  will  all  the  families  of  the  earth  be 
blessed. 

So  Sarah  died  and  Abraham  mourned  for  her.  And  so 
every  Jew  has  mourned  who  has  lost  the  companion  of  his 
days  and  the  source  of  his  truest  blessing.  And  to  this  day 
when  the  husband  comes  home  joyous  and  expectant  on 
Friday  eve  from  the  sanctuary  of  the  synagogue  to  the  even 
greater  sanctuary  of  the  home,  reverently  and  thankfully 
he  lays  his  hand  upon  the  bowed  head  of  his  wife  with  the 
softly-murmured  words,  "May  God  make  thee  like  Sarah 
and  Rebekah,  like  Leah  and  Rachel". 

NOTES 

In  ancient  Palestine  it  was  customary  to  bury  the  dead  in  caves. 
There  are  many  famous,  ancient  sepulchres  in  Palestine,  visited  by 
thousands  of  pilgrims  today.  But  the  most  famous  of  all  is  the  Cave 
of  Machpelah  near  Hebron.  Until  the  war  in  1918  it  was  in  the 
possession  of  the  Mohammedans,  who  believe  themselves  descendants 
of  Ishmael  and  consequently  also  descendants  of  Abraham.  There- 
fore they  have  quite  as  much  veneration  for  the  place,  as  we  Jews. 
And  unfortunately,  being  very  fanatical  in  their  religious  beliefs 
and  practices,  they  have  allowed  none  but  Mohammedans  to  approach 
the  sepulchre.  They  regard  it  as  a  sacred  shrine  and  have  erected 
a  sanctuary  over  it.  Into  this  none  but  Mohammedans  were  for  many 
centuries  permitted  to  enter.  Perhaps  Jews  will  soon  be  once  again 
allowed  to  approach  close  to  the  sepulchre  of  Father  Abraham  and 
there  show  their  reverence  for  his  great  memory.  Machpelah  means 
"double".  Actually  the  Cave  of  Machpelah  consists  of  two  parts, 
one  of  which  projects  from  the  other. 

V.  2.  Kiriath-arba  was  the  ancient,  pre-Israelite  name  for  Hebron ; 
cf.  Joshua  XIV,  15 ;  Judges  I,  10.  The  name  means  either  "city  of 


172  The  Book  of  Genesis 

Arba"  (Joshua  XIV,  15)  or,  probably  better,  "city  of  the  four" 
(either  four  heroes  [cf.  the  names  of  the  three  heroes  in  Judges  I, 
10]  or  four  quarters). 

V.  3.  "The  children  of  Heth";  in  early,  pre-Israelite  times  the 
Hittites  overran  northern  Babylonia  and  western  Asia  as  far  south 
as  the  border  of  the  desert,  below  Hebron.  They  were  a  non- 
Semitic,  warlike  people,  whose  original  home  was  in  the  highlands 
of  Asia  Minor,  where  they  had  established  a  powerful  kingdom. 
Excavations  have  been  recently  conducted  on  the  site  of  the  ancient 
Hittite  capital,  and  valuable  'finds  have  been  made.  The  Hittites  were 
gradually  pushed  back  and  eventually  driven  out  of  Palestine  in  the 
14th  and  13th  centuries  B.  C.  E.  by  the  great  kings  of  the  powerful 
nineteenth  dynasty  of  Egypt.  In  the  early  period,  to  which  the 
story'  of  Abraham  is  assigned,  Hebron  may  have  been  an  important 
Hittite  settlement. 

V.  8.  In  the  Orient  a  bargain  is  seldom  concluded  between  the 
two  parties  to  the  transaction  directly.  Almost  invariably  the  serv- 
ices of  one  or  more  mediators  are  invoked  by  each  side.  All  'then 
participate  in  the  haggling  and  chaffering,  seeking,  on  the  one  hand, 
to  reduce  the  price  demanded,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  to  induce  the 
prospective  purchaser  to  increase  his  offer.  Finally,  after  consider- 
able time  and  much  excitement,  the  bargain  is  concluded  to  the 
satisfaction  of  all  concerned.  Thus  Abraham  now  entreats  the 
Hittites  to  act  as  his  mediators  with  Ephron. 

V.  10.  Ephron  is  sitting  among  the  other  elders  of  the  city  at 
the  city  gate.  There  the  elders  were  wont  to  gather,  and  there  busi- 
ness transactions  were  carried  on,  court  was  'held,  and  the  public 
life  of  the  city  was  administered;  cf.  note  to  XIX,  1. 

V.  16.  In  the  ancient  Orient,  since  the  art  of  coining  money  was 
unknown,  money  was  weighed  instead  of  counted  (cf.  Jeremiah 
XXXII,  9f;  Zechariah  XI,  12).  In  fact  the  same  practice  still  ex- 
ists today.  The  word  shekel  literally  means  "weight".  Silver  was 
the  metal  regularly  employed  for  currency.  The  silver  shekel  was 
the  standard  of  value  in  ancient  Israel.  Its  value  varied  at  different 
periods  (cf.  Jewish  Encyclopedia  XI,  257f.). 

As  has  been  said,  this  was  a  very  large  sum  of  money  for  that 
time.  Ephron  seems  to  have  made  a  very  good  bargain.  The  scene 
is  typically  Oriental.  The  Oriental  loves  a  bargain  more  than  any- 
thing else.  In  commercial  transactions  it  is  still  customary  for  the 
seller  when  fiirst  asked  the  price  of  an  article,  to  offer  to  give  it  to 
the  would-be  purchaser.  When  this  offer  is  refused  and  he  is 
pressed  for  the  price,  he  names  one  greatly  in  excess  of  the  real  value 


The  Death  of  Sarah 


173 


Weighing   Money 

of  the  article.  Then  begins  a  process  of  haggling  until  the  price  is 
finally  reduced  to  what  seems  reasonable  to  both  parties.  Here,  too, 
Ephron  begins  in  the  usual  manner.  At  first  he  is  unwilling  to  part 
with  his  field  and  cave,  he  says,  and  then  when  pushed,  he  offers 
to  give  it  to  Abraham.  When  this  offer,  too,  is  refused,  he  names 
a  price  probably  far  in  excess  of  the  real  value  of  the  property. 
Abraham's  generosity  and  magnanimity  are  shown  in  that  he  im- 
mediately accepts  this  first-named  price,  even  though  he  must  feel 
that  it  is  probably  excessive. 

V.  17.  Everything  in  the  field  is  specified  as  being  included  in 
the  sale.  This  is  still  customary  in  the  Orient.  One  of  best  authori- 
ties on  Eastern  life  has  written,  "The  contract  must  mention  every- 
thing that  belongs  to  it  (the  lot),  and  certify  that  fountains  or  wells 
in  it,  trees  upon  it,  etc.,  are  sold  with  the  .field.  If  you  rent  a  home, 
not  only  the  building  itself,  but  every  room  in  it,  above  and  below, 
down  to  the  kitchen,  pantry,  stable  and  hen-coop,  must  be  specified". 
(Thomson,  The  Land  and  the  Book,  II,  383.) 

V.  18.  To  be  binding  contracts  in  the  ancient  Orient  had  to  be 
duly  witnessed.  Ancient  Babylonian  contracts  have  been  unearthed, 
to  which  the  names  of  ten  or  even  more  witnesses  are  affixed.  So 
here,  all  who  are  passing  by  at  the  moment  are  made  witnesses  to 
this  contract. 


174  The  Book  of  Genesis 


XIII 

THE  WOOING  OF  REBEKAH 

(Genesis  XXIV) 

And  Isaac  brought  her  into  his  mother  Sarah's  tent — and  he  loved 
her.  And  Isaac  was  comforted  for  his  mother.  (Genesis  XXIV,  67). 

A  woman  of  valor  who  can  find? 

For  her  price  is  far  above  rubies. 

Her  children  rise  up,  and  call  her  blessed ; 

Her  husband  also,  and  he  praiseth  her: 

'Many  daughters  have  done  valiantly,    ' 

But  thou  excellest  them  all'.     (Proverbs  XXXI,  10  and  28f.) 

Read   Proverbs   XXXI,    10-31    (selected  verses). 

The  story  which  we  consider  today  is  the  first  real  ro- 
mance which  we  have  found  in  our  study  of  the  Bible,  and 
one  of  the  oldest  and  most  beautiful  of  the  many  love  idyls 
of  the  world's  literature.  It,  too,  is  a  classic  of  narrative 
art,  comparable  in  every  way  with  the  stories  of  the  Garden 
of  Eden  and  of  the  sacrifice  of  Isaac.  The  author  was  par- 
ticularly happy  in  his  delineation  of  the  characters  of  the 
faithful,  devoted,  efficient,  old  servant,  and  of  the  young, 
virtuous,  tender-hearted,  high-minded  maiden,  ready  at  the 
call  of  love  to  leave  home  and  kindred,  and  to  journey  forth 
into  the  strange  world,  to  meet  the  husband  who  had  sent 
for  her,  and  who  was  also  her  own  choice.  We  are  face  to 
face  with  a  real  heroine,  whose  beauty,  charm,  and  nobility 
command  our  admiration  and  love. 

She  seems  more  real,  human  and  sympathetic  than  Sarah, 
and  eminently  fit  to  be  the  wife  of  Isaac  and  the  successor 
of  Sarah  as  the  second  great  mother  in  Israel.  As  the  Bible 


The  Wooing  of  Rebekah  175 

says  so  beautifully  and  expressively,  "Isaac  brought  her  into 
his  mother  Sarah's  tent,  and  he  loved  her",  In  her  answer- 
ing love  he  found  solace  for  the  loss  of  his  mother.  And,  as 
the  rabbis  told,  the  cloud,  symbolizing  the  presence  of  God, 
which  had  hovered  Over  the  tent  throughout  Sarah's  lifetime, 
but  had  departed  at  her  death,,  once  more  returned;  the 
light  which  Sarah  had  kindled  on  the  eve  of  every  Sabbath, 
again  shone  forth ;  the  blessing  which  had  rested  upon  the 
dough  was  renewed,  and  the  doors  of  the  tent  were  again 
opened  wide  for  the  needy.  Once  more  God's  blessing  of 
love  and  happiness  rested  upon  that  home,  and  radiated  far 
and  wide  to  all  who  came  under  its  influence.  It  was  the 
type  of  what  the  true  Jewish  home  has  ever  been,  just  as 
Sarah  and  Rebekah  were  the  types  of  the  true  Jewish  wife 
and  mother.  Of  them,  as  of  every  such  wife  and  mother 
in  Israel  the  beautiful  words  of  Proverbs  are  eternally  true, 

A  woman  of  valor  who  can  .find? 

For  her  price  is   far  above  rubies. 

Her  children  rise  up,  and  call  her  blessed; 

Her  husband  also,  and  he  praiseth  her : 

'Many  daughters  have  done  valiantly, 

But  thou   excellest  them   all'. 

For,  as  was  said  in  the  last  lesson,  it  is  above  all  else 
our  Jewish  wives  and  mothers  who  make  the  real  Jewish 
home.  From  them  radiate  all  our  sacred  home  love  and 
joy  and  blessing,  and  all  the  noble  influences  which  help 
to  make  of  their  sons  and  daughters  true  Jewish  men  and 
women.  As  they  kindle  the  Sabbath  lights  on  Friday  eve, 
they  symbolize  all  that  it  pure,  noble,  and  holy  in  our  indi- 
vidual lives  and  in  the  collective  life  of  the  Jewish  people. 
The  Kiddush  ceremony  on  Sabbath  eve  in  every  pious  Jewish 
household  is  a  sanctification,  not  only  of  the  home,  but  of 
the  wife  and  mother,  the  guardian  angel  who  makes  and 
protects  and  blesses  the  home,  who  keeps  far  from  its  doors 
all  evil  and  defilement,  and  permits  only  beauty,  holiness,  and 


176  The  Book  of  Genesis 


joy  to  enter.  And  as  in  the  Kiddush  service  the  beautiful 
chapter  from  Proverbs  is  read,  and  those  sacred  words  ring 
forth, 

A  woman  of  valor  who  can  find? 

For  her  price  is  far  above  rubies. 

Many  daughters  have  done  valiantly, 

But   thou   exceilest   them   all. 


every  Jewish  husband  and  every  Jewish  child  knows  full 
well  that  it  is  to  just  his  wife  and  his  mother  that  these 
words  apply  so  truly.  Our  Jewish  wives  and  mothers  amj 
homes  are  the  greatest  blessings  which  God  has  given  unto 
His  Jewish  people,  and,  more  than  aught  else,  they  have 
served,  through  all  Israel's  long  years  of  trial  and  sorrow 
and  persecution,  to  keep  the  light  of  hope  and  faith  and 
devotion  to  the  God  of  our  fathers  burning  in  our  hearts, 
even  as  they  have  kept  the  Sabbath  light  of  peace  and  joy 
and  sanctity  burning  in  our  Jewish  homes. 

Many  true,  beautiful  and  inspiring  stories  of  Jewish 
mothers,  and  of  their  nobility,  idealism,  arid  capacity  for 
sacrifice  for  husband  and  children  might  be  told.  However, 
the  following  romantic  story  of  Rabbi  Akiba  and  his  faithful 
wife  will  suffice.  Rabbi  Akiba,  during  the  first  forty  years 
of  his  life,  was  a  poor  shepherd,  uneducated  and  ignorant. 
He  kept  the  sheep  of  Kalba  Sabua,  a  man  renowned  for 
wealth  and  philanthropy.  And,  as  is  so  often  the  case,  he 
fell  in  love  with  Rachel,  the  gentle  and  beautiful  daughter 
of  his  master,  and  his  love  was  returned.  Unknown  to  her 
father,  they  were  married.  But  first  Rachel  made  Akiba 
promise  that  he  would  study  and  become  a  wise  man  and 
a  leader  in  Israel ;  for  she  had  already  recognized  his  latent 
ability.  When  her  father  heard  of  the  marriage  he  was 
furious.  He  cast  his  daughter  from  his  house,  and  vowed 
that  she  should  never  again  receive  aught  from  him. 

Then  began  pitiful  days,  days  of  want  and  hunger,  es- 
pecially hard  for  the  young  wife,  reared  in  plenty  and  lux- 


The  Wooing  of  Rebekah  177 

ury.  Still  her  love  and  faith  in  her  husband  buoyed  her  up 
and  made  her  happy.  But  Akiba's  heart  was  torn  with  grief 
as  he  saw  his  loved  one  suffering  so  bravely  and  uncom- 
plainingly, and  thought  of  all  that  she  had  sacrificed  for  his 
sake.  They  were  compelled  to  live  in  a  miserable  hovel  and 
sleep  upon  a  couch  of  straw  even  in  midwinter. 

One  cold  day  they  heard  a  knock  on  their  door.  A  poor 
man,  trembling  and  in  rags  worse  than  theirs,  asked  for  a 
little  straw,  that  he  might  have  a  bed  for  his  sick  wife. 
Then  they  realized  that  there  were  human  beings  even  poorer 
and  more  wretched  than  themselves,  and  they  thanked  God, 
despite  their  poverty,  for  all  His  blessings.  The  poor  man, 
so  the  rabbis  told,  was  the  prophet  Elijah,  who  had  come 
in  this  guise  to  comfort  and  encourage  them  in  their  misery. 

And  he  had  encouraged  them.  Up  to  this  time  Akiba 
had  not  had  the  heart  to  leave  his  beloved  young  wife,  to 
go  and  study  in  the  great  schools.  It  seemed  hopeless  for 
a  man  of  forty  to  begin  to  study.  Nor  had  his  brave,  young 
wife  been  quite  brave  enough  to  bid  him  leave  her.  Now 
courage  came  to  both.  Bravely  she  sent  him  forth,  and 
bravely  he  set  out  to  study  and  learn,  and  to  become  a  wise 
man,  teacher  and  leader  in  Israel.  It  was  a  difficult  under- 
taking. He  had  to  begin  with  the  little  children  to  learn  his 
letters.  But  the  thought  of  his  noble  wife  and  of  all  her 
loving  sacrifice  spurred  him  on.  And  at  last,  at  the  end  of 
twelve  long  years,  he  thought  he  had  learned  enough  to 
warrant  his  returning  to  her. 

Meanwhile  things  had  gone  badly  with  her.  Sternly  her 
father  had  kept  his  vow.  Time  and  again  she  was  on  the 
verge  of  starvation.  Yet  she  labored  on  and  sent  all  that 
she  could  earn  in  one  way  or  another  to  her  husband,  that 
he  might  continue  untroubled  at  his  studies.  And  one  win- 
ter, when  her  earnings  had  been  less  than  usual,  she  even 
stole  forth  into  the  market  place  and  sold  her  oeautiful,  long 
tresses,  that  she  might  send  him  some  assistance. 


178  The  Book  of  Genesis 

At  last  Akiba  was  coming  back  witb  joy  in  his  heart  at 
the  thought  of  being  once  more  united  with  his  devoted 
wife,  and  being  able  to  alleviate  her  hardships  and  give  her 
happiness  in  return  for  all  her  deprivations  and  sacrifices. 
But  just  as  he  set  foot  within  the  door,  he  heard  his  Rachel 
in  conversation  with  a  neighbor,  and  the  latter  say,  "It  serves 
thee  right  for  having  married  beneath  thee ;  thy  husband  has 
forsaken  thee  and  will  never  return".  And  the  brave  Rachel 
answered,  "If  only  he  would  hearken  to  me,  he  would  remain 
away  another  twelve  years  in  order  to  study  and  grow,  and 
become  the  leader  in  Israel  that  I  know  he  can  be".  When 
Akiba  heard  these  brave  words  he  thought,  "I  will  do  her 
bidding;  surely  this  is  her  desire".  So  without  a  word  he 
went  away  again,  and  remained  another  twelve  years.  Dur- 
ing these  years  his  knowledge  grew  in  every  direction,  and 
the  fame  of  the  new  rabbi  spread  far  and  wide.  His  teachers 
and  colleagues  came  to  respect  his  opinions  and  seek  his 
advice,  and  at  last  he  was  looked  upon  by  all  who  knew 
him  as  the  wisest  man  and  the  true  spiritual  leader  of  all 
Israel.  But  his  real  name  was  as  yet  unknown. 

Then  one  day  word  came  that  the  great  rabbi  was  com- 
ing to  the  city  in  which  Rachel  dwelt.  The  news  penetrated 
even  to  her  hovel,  and  with  it  her  heart  beat  fast.  Somehow 
the  thought  grew  upon  her,  that  this  great  rabbi  would 
prove  to  be  her  husband,  gone  now  these  twenty-four  years. 
Trembling  and  expectant  she  went  out  with  the  crowds 
to  greet  the  master.  At  last  she  beheld  him  among  all  his 
disciples,  and  lo,  it  was  he.  Sobbing  for  joy  she  fell  to  the 
ground  and  kissed  his  feet.  Indignantly  the  disciples  sought 
to  push  the  seeming  beggar  away.  But  the  master  raised 
her  in  his  arms  before  all  the  people  and  kissed  her  tenderly 
and  reverently.  And  softly  the  words  fell  from  his  lips, 
"Let  her  be.  All  the  knowledge  which  I  have,  and  all  which 
you  have,  are*  due  to  her  alone".  So  Rachel's  husband  came 
back  to  her,  the  great  Rabbi  Akiba,  .the  wisest  man  of  his 


The  Wooing  of  Rcbekah  179 

day,  the  leader  of  Israel  in  tl>c  period  of  almost  its  greatest 
trial.     And  Rachel  had  her  reward. 

But  this  was  not  the  end.  Among  the  crowd  who  had 
come  to  greet  the  great  rabbi  was  Kalba  Sabua.  Little  did 
he  dream  that  the  man  whom  he  sought  to  honor  was  his 
own  son-in-law,  whom  he  had  driven  away  in  anger.  He 
had  intended  to  ask  the  great  rabbi  to  free  him  from  his 
cruel  vow,  if  this  were  possible.  His  heart  had  gone  out 
to  his  daughter  in  all  her  misery,  and  he  longed  to  help  her, 
but  his  vow  held  him  back.  Now  perhaps  the  wise  rabbi 
could  find  some  way  to  release  him  from  the  vow.  And 
when  he  asked  the  rabbi,  and  the  latter  answered,  "H'adst 
thou  known  that  thy  son-in-law  would  become  a  renowned 
rabbi,  wouldst  thou  have  made  thy  vow?"  he  replied,  "Had 
I  thought  that  he  would  be  able  to  learn  even  one  chapter 
of  the  Torah,  I  would  have  been  satisfied".  "I  am  thy  son- 
in-law",  said  Rabbi  Akiba  simply.  For  a  moment  the  rich 
man  stared  in  amazement.  Then  he,  too,  threw  himself  at 
the  feet  of  his  son-in-law  and  begged  forgiveness.  But 
Rabbi  Akiba  raised  him  up  with  words  of  comfort  and 
cheer.  "It  was  all  God's  will",  he  said,  "all  for  the  best". 
And  thereafter  they  lived  happily  together.  The  fortune  of 
Kalba  Sabua  became  Akiba's  and  Rachel's  in  time.  The 
poverty  and  suffering  of  their  early  days  were  succeeded  by 
plenty  and  happiness.  Nor  did  they  fail  to  give  of  their 
abundance  to  the  poor.  Of  Rabbi  Akiba  we  shall  hear  from 
time  to  time.  But  of  his  noble  wife,  Rachel,  we  know  no 
more  Nor  do  we  need  to  learn  more.  Her  story  and  her 
example  are  typical  of  the  Jewish  wife  and  mother,  just  as 
are  those  of  Sarah  and  Rebekah.  And  of  her,  and  of  them, 
and  of  all  true  Jewish  wives  and  mothers  we  may  say, 

Many  daughters   have   done   valiantly, 
But  thou  excellest  them  all. 

But  to  return  to  Rebekah.     Not  every  maiden,  even  among 


180  The  Book  of  Genesis 

the  relatives  of  Abraham,  was  worthy  to  become  the  wife  of 
Isaac.  The  task  of  being  a  blessing  unto  all  the  families  of 
the  earth  was  to  descend  from  Abraham  to  Isaac  as  a 
precious  birthright.  Isaac  was  to  become  God's  servant  and 
messenger  of  truth  and  blessing  after  his  father.  In  this 
task  his  wife  must  share.  And  quite  as  much  as  Isaac,  she, 
too,  must  possess  all  the  qualities  and  virtues  indispensable 
for  the  fulfilment  of  the  mission,  kindness  of  heart,  gen- 
erosity, hospitality,  tireless  industry,  willingness  to  serve  and 
to  satisfy  the  needs  of  even  the  humblest  of  God's  creatures. 
And  so  the  wise  servant  determined  upon  a  test,  which 
should  adequately  measure  the  maiden's  real  worth  and  fit- 
ness to  become  the  wife  of  his  young  master.  If,  in  answer 
to  his  request  for  water,  she  should  bethink  herself  also  of 
his  thirsting  camels,  and  if  she  should  respond  whole-heart- 
edly and  generously  to  his  appeal  for  entertainment  for  him- 
self and  his  attendants,  and  should  not  spare  herself  in  the 
sincerity  of  her  hospitality,  it  would  prove  that  this  maiden 
was  worthy  in  every  way  to  become  the  wife  of  Isaac,  and 
to  share  in  the  glorious  birthright  of  service  which  was  to 
be  theirs.  How  well  Rebekah  stood  this  test,  the  story  tells. 

But  a  word  of  caution  must  be  spoken  here.  This  motive  of  the 
test,  and  particularly  of  Rebekah's  watering  the  camels,  is  the  most 
striking  incident  of  the  early  part  of  the  story,  and  its  moral  lesson 
is  obvious.  For  this  reason  in  presenting  this  story  the  religious 
school  teacher  frequently  attempts  to  bring  home  the  very  valuable 
lesson  of  kindness  to  animals.  But  this  is  not  enough.  This  is  by 
no  means  the  main  theme  of  the  story,  and  certainly  the  author 
intended  it  to  be  no  more  than  a  passing  incident  in  the  larger 
narrative.  Therefore  to  over-emphasize  this  thought  means  to  miss 
the  real  point  of  the  story,  and  to  fail  to  bring  out  its  essential 
Jewish  message. 

Not  that  the  opportunity  to  speak  of  the  virtue  of  kindness  to 
animals  should  be  neglected.  It  should  be  dwelt  upon  forcibly,  but 
in  due  proportion,  as  the  best  proof  of  Rebekah's  true  worth.  The 
teacher  should  show  that  kindness  to  animals,  and  to  all  creatures 
lower  and  weaker  than  ourselves  has  always  been  a  virtue  of  the  true 


The  Wooing  of  Rebekah  181 

Jewish  wife  and  mother,  and  of  every  true  Jew,  and  has  always 
been  insisted  upon  by  our  Jewish  religion.  The  Bible  contains  many 
prescriptions  enjoining  considerate  treatment  of  animals.  And  other 
laws,  while  possibly  originating  in  some  different  conception,  have 
come  to  be  interpreted  entirely  from  a  humanitarian  standpoint. 
Among  such  laws  We  find,  "Thou  shalt  not  muzzle  the  ox  when  he 
treadeth  out  the  corn"  (Deuteronomy  XXV,  4),  "Thou  shalt  not  see. 
thy  brother's  ass  or  his  ox  fallen  by  the  way,  and  hide  thyself  from 
them"  (Deuteronomy  XXII,  4),  "Thou  shalt  not  plow  with  an  ox 
and  an  ass  together  (Deuteronomy  XXII,  10),  "Thou  shalt  not 
seethe  a  kid  in  its  mother's  milk"  (Exodus  XXIII,  19;  XXXIV,  26: 
Deuteronomy  XIV,  21)  and  the  rabbis  taught,  "First  feed  thy  beast 
and  then  thyself."  An  old,  rabbinical  legend,  illustrating  this  teaching 
of  kindness  to  animals  is  beautifully  told  in  Whittier's  poem,  "Solomon 
and  the  Ants."  All  these  and  many  similar  laws  and  legends  are 
summed  up  in  the  significant  words, 

"A  righteous  man  regardeth  the  life  of  his  beast"  (Proverbs  XII,  1). 
In  presenting  this  lesson  the  teacher  should  not  fail  to  lay  due  stress 
upon  this  thought  of  kindness  to  animals.  But  it  should  be  presented 
not  as  the  main  theme,  but  as  incidental  to  the  picture  of  the  true 
Jewish  wife  and  mother,  and  the  true  Jewish  woman  and  man. 
This  must  remain  the  main  theme  of  the  lesson,  just  as  it  is  of  the 
story  itself. 

Second  only  to  Rebekah  in  effectiveness  of  portrayal  and 
in  the  interest  and  sympathy  evoked  in  the  mind  of  the 
reader,  is  the  faithful,  old  servant.  Loyally  and  efficiently 
he  discharges  the  responsible  mission  upon  which  he  has 
been  sent.  His  thoughts  are  not  for  himself  at  all,  but  only 
for  his  master's  welfare.  Even  before  he  will  touch  a 
morsel  of  food  or  satisfy  his  other  physical  needs,  he  will 
tell  his  errand.  His  faith  in  God  is  unbounded;  he  is  sure, 
even  as  Abraham  was,  that  his  journey  can  not  be  in  vain, 
but  that  it  is  in  accordance  with  God's  will  and  will .  be 
under  God's  guidance. 

Far  too  frequently  the  term,  servant,  is  thought  to  be 
indicative  of  inferiority  and  degradation.  We  would  all  be 
masters ;  but  few  are  willing  to  be  servants.  Yet  we  have 
learned  that  God  has  created  us,  not  to  be  masters,  but  to 


182  The  Book  of  Genesis 

be  servants,  to  serve  Him  and  our  fellowmen  loyally  and 
faithfully,  like  this  servant  of  Abraham,  without  thought 
of  reward,  but  with  the  consciousness  of  duty  in  our  hearts 
and  the  fear  of  God  upon  us.  Only  by  serving  can  we 
realize  the  purpose  of  existence.  And  "servant  of  the  Lord" 
is  the  proudest  and  most  honorable  title  the  world  can  know. 
This  title  God  bestowed  upon  Israel,  when  he  spoke  through 
His  prophet, 

Ye  are   My  witnesses,  saith  the   Lord, 

And  My  servant  whom  I  have  chosen.     (Isaiah  XLIII,  10.) 

and   again, 

Remember  these  things,   O  Jacob, 

And  Israel,   for  thou  art  My  servant; 

I  have  formed  thee,  thou  art  Mine  own  servant.     (Isaiah  XLIV,  21.) 

And  just  as  Abraham  sent  his  faithful  servant  upon  a  diffi- 
cult and  responsible  journey,  and  assured  him  that  God's 
angel  would  go  before  him  to  guide  him  upon  the  way,  so 
has  God  sent  His  servant,  Israel,  upon  a  long  and  difficult 
and  exacting  mission,  and  charged  him  to  serve  fearlessly 
and  faithfully,  until  his  work  shall  be  accomplished  and  his 
mission  of  service  and  blessing  shall  be  fulfilled. 

But  thou,  Israel,   My.  servant, 
Jacob  whom   I   have   chosen, 
The  seed  of  Abraham,  My  friend ; 

Thou  whom  I  have  taken  hold  of  from  the  ends  of  the  earth, 
And  called  thee  from  the  uttermost  parts  thereof, 
And  said  unto  thee:  Thou  art  My  servant, 
I  have  chosen  thee  and  not  cast  thee  away'; 
Fear  thou  not,  for  I  am  with  thee, 
Be  not  dismayed,  for  I  am  thy  God; 
I  strengthen  thee,  yea,  I  help  thee; 

Yea,  I  uphold  thee  with  My  victorious  right  hand.     (Isaiah  XLI 
8-10.) 


The  Wooing  of  Rebekah  183 

NOTES 

V.  2.  The  servant  here  would  seem  to  be  the  same  Eliezer  men- 
tioned in  XV,  2.  "Elder  of  the  house"  is  probably  a  technical  term 
for  steward  or  chief  servant. 

Vv.  2-3.  Solemnizing  an  oath  by  putting  the  hand  upon  the  loins 
or  the  thigh  of  the  person  to  whom  the  oath  was  given,  was  a 
common  practice  in  the  ancient  Semitic  world.  It  was  probably 
based  upon  the  conception  of  the  peculiar  sanctity  of  certain  parts  or 
members  of  the  body.  Cf.  also  XLVII,  29. 

V.  4.  In  the  Orient  a  man's  parents  generally  choose  a  wife 
for  him.  Cf.  XXI,  21;  XXVIII,  If;  XXXVIII,  6. 

An  interesting  and  illuminating  parallel  'to  this  mission  of  the 
servant  to  secure  a  suitable  wife  for  Isaac  from  the  relatives  of  his 
father,  is  to  be  found  in  Blunt,  A  Pilgrimage  to  Nejd.  The  Blunts 
undertook  a  long  and  dangerous  journey  from  Tadmor,  the  site  of  an 
ancient  and  important  city  in  the  wilderness  of  northern  Syria,  to 
Nejd  in  central  Arabia,  partly  in  order  "to  secure  for  a  young  Arab 
attendant  whom  they  valued,  a  wife  from  among  his  blood  relatives, 
the  Ibn  Arooks,  whom  he  had  never  seen." 

V.  10.  Aram  Naharaim,  i.  e.  Mesopotamia,  the  country  lying 
between  the  Euphrates  and  Tigris  rivers.  The  name  means  "Aram 
of  the  two  rivers".  The  city  of  Nahor  here  referred  to  must  have 
been  located  somewhere  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Mesopotamia,  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  large  and  important  city  of  Haran.  It  might 
stimulate  the  children's  interest  to  point  out  on  the  map  the  course 
taken  by  the  servant,  and  by  him  and  Rebekah  on  the  return  trip. 
It  must  have  led  northwards  by  way  of  Damascus,  and  then  north- 
eastward, until  the  Euphrates  was  reached  and  crossed  at  Carchemish, 
and  then  eastward  to  the  appointed  spot. 

V.  11.  Camels  kneel  for  their  riders  to  mount  or  dismount,  and 
!o  be  loaded  or  unloaded. 

As  has  been  said  before,  in  many  parts  of  the  Orient  water  is 
scarce.  Frequently  a  village  or  city  gets  all  its  water  from  one  well. 
And  since  cities  are  generally  located  on  the  tops  of  hills  for  pur- 
poses of  defense,  and  the  wells  or  springs,  from  which  they  draw 
water  are  usually  at  the  lowest  point,  at  the  foot  of  the  hills,  it 
happens  frequently,  as  here,  that  the  wells  are  outside  the  city  walls 
or  limits.  Often  the  water  must  be  carried  for  considerable  distances. 
This  work  generally  falls  to  the  women  or  girls.  As  a  rule  they  go 
for  water  once  or  twice  a  day,  generally,  as  here,  in  the  evening, 
or  in  the  morning  and  evening;  hence  the  expression,  "at  the  time  of 
evening  the  time  that  women  £o  out  to  draw  Avater". 


184 


The  Book  of  Genesis 


At  the  Well 

V.  15.     The  full  genealogy  of  Rebekah  is  given  in  XXII,  20-24. 

V.  16.  Not  infrequently  the  water  of  wells  or  springs  does  not 
rise  to  the  level  of  the  ground,  and  must  either  be  drawn  up  labori- 
ously by  buckets,  or,  if  the  opening  of  the  well  be  large,  steps  lead 
either  all  or  part  of  the  way  down  to  the  water.  Here  the  steps 
seem  to  have  led  down  to  the  water's  edge,  so  that  the  jars  could  be 
filled  by  hand. 

Vv.  16ff.  What  might  be  considered  a  suggestive  parallel  to  a 
part  of  this  story,  is  recounted  by  Niebuhr  (Reisebeschreibung  nach 
^Arabien  und  andern  umliegenden  Laendern,  II,  410).  He  says  that 
while  traveling  in  the  vicinity  of  ancient  Haran,  "We  found  on  this 
road  numerous  wells,  at  which  the  maidens  of  the  neighboring  villages 
.  .  watered  their  cattle.  As  soon  as  we  had 


The  Wooing  of  Rebekah  185 

greeted  then  and  dismounted  from  our  horses,  they  brought  us  water, 
and  also  watered  our  horses.  Similar  attentions  had  been  shown  me 
in  other  districts  also". 

V.  18.  Maidens  in  the  Orient  generally  carry  their 
water-jars  on  their  shoulders  or  heads.  Cf.  XXI,  14. 
Therefore  Rebekah  lets  her  jar  down  upon  her  hand 
that  the  servant  might  drink. 

V.  19.    A  camel  can  drink  an  unusually  large  amount 
of  water.     Consequently  to  draw  water  for  ten  camels 
and   carry  each  jarful  up  the  steps   from  the  water's 
edge  to   the  troughs   was   a  heavy  task,   and   the   test 
correspondingly  severe. 
An  Oriental        ^'  ^'     Beside  suc^  village  wells  in  the  Orient  are 
W  ter  T  r      ^e    trou£ns    from    which    the    animals    of    the    village 
drink.     It  is  simpler  to  drive  the  animals  to  the  well 
and  water  them  there,  than  to  carry  the  water  home;  cf.  XXIX,  2ff; 
Exodus   II,   15ff.     In  watering  the  camels  Rebekah   performed   what 
was  regularly  the  task  of  the  camel  attendants.     Probably  they  were 
overwearied    by    their    journey.      Rebekah    thus    shows    kindness    not 
only  to  the  animals  but  to  the  men  as  well. 

V.  23.  In  accordance  with  the  principles  of  oriental  hospitality 
the  servant  does  not  ask  whether  he  may  pass  the  night  in  Rebekah's 
house.  This  is  self-understood,  provided  of  course  that  there  be 
room.  Hence  his  question. 

V.  25.  Rebekah  answers  that  not  only  is  there  room  to  lodge, 
but  also  provisions  for  himself,  and  even  for  his  animals.  It  must 
have  been  a  large  and  well-provided  household  which  could  at  a 
moment's  notice  shelter  and  feed  a  stranger  with  ten  camels  and  the 
number  of  servants  necessitated  by  these. 

V.  30  seems  to  imply  that  in  significant  contrast  to  Rebekah's 
sincere  and  generous  hospitality,  Laban  was  influenced  by  considera- 
tion of  the  rich  gifts  which  his  sister  had  received  and  the  desire 
to  obtain  similar  presents  for  himself.  This  is  an  effective  hint  at 
Laban's  avaricious  nature,  of  which  we  shall  have  further  instances 
in  the  Jacob  story. 

V.  31.  In  the  typical  semi-nomadic  home,  such  as  is  here  pic- 
tured, still  today  as  in  ancient  times,  animals  are  housed,  not  in 
separate  stables,  but  in  the  very  house  in  which  the  family  resides. 
Usually  the  floor  of  such  a  house  is  divided  into  two  parts,,  one  for 
the  animals,  and  the  other,  a  few  steps  higher  than  the  first,  for 
the  family. 

V.  32.  Laban  furnishes  the  provision  for  the  camels  and  the 
water  for  the  men. 


186  The  Book  of  Genesis 

In  the  Orient,  where  only  sandals  are  worn,  washing  the  feet  is 
the  first  act  of  hospitality;  cf.  XVIII,  4. 

V.  33.  A  part  of  the  regular  procedure  of  securing  a  wife  for  a 
young  man  in  the  East,  as  described  by  Trumbull,  Studies  in  Oriental 
Social  Ltfe,  18,  is  as  follows;  "Arriving  at  the  house,  the  deputy 
asks  if  'the  father  of  Maryam' — or  whatever  the  young  woman's 
name  may  be — is  at  home.  When  the  latter  appears  to  greet  his 
guests,  he  is  told  that  the  deputy  will  speak  for  the  party.  As  coffee 
is  proffered,  the  deputy  says  that  the  visitors  have  come  upon  a  very 
important  mission,  and  that  they  can  neither  eat  nor  drink  until  that 
mission  is  accomplished.  It  is  now  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  Abraham." 

Vv.  34f.  The  teacher  should  picture  the  surprise  and  pleasure 
of  Rebekah's  family  at  so  unexpectedly  hearing  of  their  long-de- 
parted relative,  Abraham.  They  had  probably  almost  completely 
forgotten  about  him.  This  was  their  first  word  about  him  in  many 
years.  Now  they  learn  to  their  joy  that  he  is  well  and  prosperous, 
and  that  he  still  thinks  of  them,  and  desires  a  maiden  from  among 
them  for  his  son.  Notice,  too,  the  simple  but  extremely  effective  way 
in  which  the  servant  says,  -"I  am  Abraham's  servant".  The  name  falls 
unexpectedly  on  their  ears.  And  now  the  rich  presents  have  a 
double  value  in  their  eyes,  for  they  are  the  concrete  proof  that 
Abraham  has  prospered  exceedingly. 

V.  47.  In  the  Orient,  still  today  as  in  ancient  times,  women  com- 
monly wear  rings  in  their  noses. 

V.  50  implies  that  Laban  and  Bethuel  are  conscious  of  divine 
intervention  in  this  incident,  and  therefore  are  willing  to  forego 
the  usual  right  of  parent  or  brother  of  disposing  of  the  daughter's 
or  sister's  hand,  and  to  leave  the  matter  to  Rebekah  herself.  At  the 
-same  time  it  should  be  understood  that  in  Israel  women  always  en- 
joyed rights  and  privileges  unusual  in  the  modern  Orient.  From  a 
considerable  mass  of  evidence  we  infer  that  it  must  have  been  not 
uncommon  in  Israel  to  secure  the  maiden's  consent  before  giving  her 
in  marriage.  Nor  do  the  present-day  oriental  customs  of  the  harem 
and"  of  the  veiling  of  women  seem  to  have  been  common  in  ancient 
Israel.  Throughout  the  Bible  we  hear  constantly  of  the  high  posi- 
tion, power,  and  privileges  of  women. 

V.  53.  In  the  qase  of  a  betrothal,  such  as  this  was,  presents 
to  the  bride  and  her  family  from  the  side  of  the  groom  were,  and 
still  are,  the  rule.  They  serve  to  bind  the  marriage  contract,  as  it 
were. 

V.  55.  It  is  customary  in  the  Orient  to  urge  a  departing  guest 
to  remain  longer  and  enjoy  further  hospitality.  Here,  of  course,  this 
sentiment  is  coupled  with  the  thought  that  they  might  never  see 


The  Wooing  of  Rcbckah 


187 


Noserings,  Bracelets  and  Anklets 

Rebekah  again,  in  consequence  of  which  they  were  loathe  to  let  her 
depart. 

V.  59.  In  the  Orient  the  nurse  in  childhood  remains  a  woman's 
personal  attendant  and  conifidant  throughout  life.  Cf.  XXXV,  8. 

V.  64.  To  alight  from  the  animal  or  chariot  upon  which  one  is 
riding,  in  the  presence  of  one  who  is  walking,  is  considered  in  the 
Orient  a  mark  of  respect.  Cf.  Joshua  XV,  18;  Judges  I,  14;  I 
Samuel  XXV,  23;  II  Kings  V,  21. 

V.  65.  In  the  East  the  hride  should  not  be  seen  by  the  groom 
unveiled  before  marriage,  or  at  least  between  betrothal  and  mar- 
riage. Therefore  Rebekah  lets  down  her  veil. 

V.  67.  Sarah's  tent  was  nothing  more  than  the  women's  apart- 
ment of  the  principal  tent  of  the  encampment;  cf.  XV1TI,  9f  and 


188  The  Book  of  Genesis 


A  Veiled  Woman   in  the   Orient 

Judges  IV,  18.  Occasionally,  howe>ver,  when  there  was  more  than 
one  wife,  and  particularly  when  the  relations  between  them  were 
not  altogether  amicable,  a  separate  tent  was  assigned  to  each;  cf. 
XXXI,  33. 

Bringing  the  bride  into  the  tent  or  house  of  the  groom  has  al- 
ways constituted  the  essential  marriage  ceremony  in  the  Orient. 
Religious  rites,  such  as  we  observe  today,  were  unknown  in  ancient 
Israel.  The  removal  of  the  bride's  veil  by  the  groom,  when  they 
were  left  alone  together  for  the  first  time,  was  the  culminating  rite 
of  the  marriage  ceremony. 

It  should  be  remarked,  also,  that  in  ancient  Israel,  as  in  fact 
throughout  the  entire  Semitic  world,  marriage  between  cousins  was 
regarded  as  the  highest  type  of  union.  Occasionally  a  man  was 
thought  to  have  an  inalienable  right  to  his  cousin's  hand,  and  she 
could  marry  no  one  else  until  he  had  publicly  waived  his  right.  We 
shall  have  another  instance  of  marriage  of  cousins  in  the  story  of 
Jacob  and  Leah  and  Rachel.  Readers  of  The  Arabian  Nights  will 
remember  numerous  instances  of  this  same  custom  in  that  work,  so 
illuminative  of  oriental  customs  and  manners. 

An  interesting  discussion  of  the  subject,  "Weddings  and  Be- 
trothals in  the  East",  which  throws  considerable  light  upon  the  details 
of  this  story,  will  be  found  in  Trumbull,  Studies  in  Oriental  Social 
Life,  1-72. 


The  Well  of  the  Covenant  189 


XIV 
THE  WELL  OF  THE  COVENANT 

(Genesis  XXVI,  12-33) 

Let  there  now  be  an  oath  betwixt  us,  even  betwixt  us  and  thee, 
and  let  us  make  a  covenant  with  thee.  (Genesis  XXVI,  28.) 

Hatred  stirreth  up  strifes; 

But  love  covereth  all  transgressions.      (Proverbs  X,  12.) 

Read  Micah  IV,  1-4. 

The  thoughtful  student  of  the  Bible  can  not  but  observe 
that  although  the  last  portion  of  the  Abraham  story  implied 
that  Isaac  was  destined,  under  God's  providence,  to  play  an 
important  role  in  the  history  of  Israel,  actually  the  Bible 
tells  very  little  of  Isaac's  life  and  work.  In  only  one  story 
is  he  the  chief  actor.  Otherwise  his  is  a  role  second  to 
those  of  Abraham,  Rebekah,  and  Jacob,  the  three  persons 
with  whom  he  is  most  intimately  associated. 

And  even  this  one  story  duplicates  in  almost  every  detail 
what  has  been  previously  told  about  Abraham.  The  story 
itself  consists  of  two  episodes,  that  of  Rebekah  passing  as 
the  sister  of  Isaac,  and  that  of  Isaac's  covenant  with 
Abimelech.  Two  other  versions  of  the  first  episode  occur 
in  the  Bible,  in  XII,  10-20,  and  XX,  in  both  of  which,  how- 
ever, Abraham  and  Sarah  are  the  chief  actors.  It  is  note- 
worthy that  in  the  second  of  these  two  versions  Abimelech 
of  Gerar  plays  the  same  part  as  in  this  Isaac-Rebekah  ver- 
sion. It  is  altogether  unlikely  that  so  unpleasant  an  event 
could  have  occurred  in  one  family  on  three  separate  occa- 
sions, and  that  one  king  should  have  twice  played  the  same 


190  The  Book  of  Genesis 

unfortunate  and  discreditable  role.  More  probably  we  have 
here  an  instance  of  the  well-known  fact,  that  very  frequently 
one  and  the  same  tradition  attaches  itself  in  slightly  varying 
forms  to  several  historical  figures.  In  this  case  it  would 
seem  that,  inasmuch  as  the  central  motive  of  this  episode  is 
that  the  wife  passes  as  the  sister  of  her  husband,  and  since 
the  Bible  tells  that  Sarah  was  actually  Abraham's  half- 
sister  (XX,  12),  whereas  Rebekah  was  only  Isaac's  cousin, 
this  portion  of  the  story  was  originally  told  about  Abraham 
and  Sarah,  and  came  only  secondarily  to  be  told  of  Isaac 
and  Rebekah  also. 

Similarly  the  episode  of  Isaac's  covenant  with  Abimelech 
has  its  complete  parallel  in  the  account  of  Abraham's  cove- 
nant with  the  same  king  (XXI,  22-34).  One  significant  fact 
proves  conclusively  that  XXVI  does  not  imply  that  Isaac 
merely  renewed  the  covenant  with  Abimelech  which  Abra- 
ham had  made  previously,  but  that  it  states  clearly  that 
Isaac's  covenant  with  Abimelech  was  the  first  such  covenant 
made.  XXI  tells  of  a  well  which  had  been  dug  by  the 
servants  of  Abraham,  but  which  the  servants  of  Abimelech 
had  seized.  Abraham  proves  his  title  to  the  well,  and  in 
token  thereof  he  gives  to  Abimelech  seven  ewe-lambs.  The 
Hebrew  words  for  "seven"  is  sheba.  It  is  closely  akin  to 
shebuah,  "oath"  or  "covenant".  Therefore  the  story  says, 
Abraham  called  that  well  Beer-sheba.  The  story  is  some- 
what confused  as  to  whether  this  name  should  be  interpreted 
as  "the  well  of  the  seven",  i.  e.,  the  seven  ewe-lambs,  or 
"the  well  of  the  covenant".  On  the  other  hand,  XXVI  tells 
that  Isaac  dug  four  wells,  at  the  last  of  which  he  made  a 
covenant  with  Abimelech.  Therefore  Isaac  gave  to  this  well, 
which  his  servants  had  just  dug,  the  name  Beer-sheba,  here 
meaning  unmistakably,  "the  well  of  the  covenant".  This 
story  implies  both  that  this  was  a  new  well,  just  discovered 
by  the  servants  of  Isaac,  and  also  that  this  spot  had  never 
been  called  Beer-sheba  before,  but  first  received  this  name 


The  Well  of  the  Covenant  191 

from  Isaac.  It  knows  nothing1,  therefore,  of  a  well  previ- 
ously dug  by  Abraham  at  this  same  place  and  given  this 
same  name  by  him.  It  is  clear  that  these  are  actually  two 
different  and  independent  versions  of  the  story  of  the 
covenant  with  Abimelech ;  the  one  version  tells  that  Abra- 
ham made  the  covenant,  and  the  other  ascribes  this  role  to 
Isaac.  Since  the  Isaac  version  of  the  story  is  apparently 
more  complete,  and  explains  the  name  Beer-sheba,  more 
logically  and  satisfactorily  than  the  Abraham  version,  it  is 
probable,  though  by  no  means  absolutely  certain,  that  in  the 
original  form  of  this  story  Isaac  playe'd  the  leading  role, 
and  that  this  was  ascribed  only  secondarily  to  Abraham  also. 
If  so,  then,  as  has  been  stated,  this  is  the  only  story  in  the 
entire  Bible  in  which  Isaac  is  really  the  principal  actor. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  some  late  Biblical  writer 
sought  to  harmonize  these  two  versions  by  telling  that  Isaac 
merely  reopened  the  wells  which  Abraham  had  previously 
dug,  and  which  the  Philistines  had  filled  up.  Accordingly 
he  inserted  vv.  15  and  18  into  XXVI.  Not  only  do  these 
two  verses  confuse  the  story  and  disturb  its  continuity,  but 
this  writer  failed  also  to  insert  a  third  verse,  necessitated 
by  his  attempted  harmonization,  stating  that  Isaac  merely 
renewed  the  covenant  with  Abimelech  which  Abraham  had 
made  before  him.  Manifestly  this  writer  did  not  succeed 
in  his  task.  Certainly  the  story  in  XXVI  reads  more 
smoothly  without  vv.  15  and  18. 

But  while  it  is  true  that  the  Bible  records  only  this  one 
original  Isaac  story,  and  even  in  this,  as  in  everything  else, 
it  makes  Isaac  the  counterpart  of  his  father,  nevertheless 
by  this  very  fact  it  voices  a  significant  truth.  God  had 
called  Abraham  to  be  His  servant,  to  be  a  blessing  unto  all 
the  families  of  the  earth,  and  to  bring  to  them  the  knowledge 
of  Him  and  His  law.  He  had  tested  Abraham  by  bitter 
trials,  and  had  proved  his  fitness  for  this  exalted  and  exact- 
ing mission.  After  Abraham's  death  this  mission  of  service 


192  The  Book  of  Genesis 

had  descended  to  Isaac  as  a  precious  birthright.  The  same 
duties  and  obligations  which  had  rested  upon  Abraham,  now 
devolved  upon  Isaac.  He  must  possess  the  same  qualities 
and  virtues  as  Abraham,  if  he,  too,  was  to  be  fit  for  God's 
service.  And  so  the  Bible  tells  that  some  of  the  same  trials 
which  Abraham  had  endured,  also  befell  Isaac,  and  that  he, 
too,  withstood  them  as  his  father  had  done.  But  even  more 
than  this,  the  Bible  implies  that  just  because  he  was  Abra- 
ham's son,  and  had  been  brought  up  by  his  father,  and  had 
lived  in  intimate  association  with  him,  he  had  inherited 
Abraham's  virtues.  We  have  already  learned  that  the  rabbis 
called  attention  to  the  fact  that  Lot  greeted  the  angels  and 
proffered  his  hospitality  in  almost  the  same  words  with 
which  Abraham  had  greeted  them  earlier  in  the  day.  They 
explained  this  remarkable  coincidence  by  saying  that  Lot 
had  learned  -the  lesson  of  hospitality  from  Abraham.  Sim- 
ilarly Isaac  must  have  acquired  his  virtues,  which  made  him 
so  like  his  father,  as  the  result  of  the  latter's  gentle  but 
compelling  example  and  influence.  The  rabbis  used  to  liken 
good  deeds  and  helpful  influence  to  a  lamp  whose  flame  can 
kindle  one  thousand  other  lamps  yet  grow  not  one  whit 
smaller  or  weaker  thereby.  Or  as  our  own  poet,  Lowell,  has 
put  it, 

As  one  lamp  lights  another,  nor  grows  less, 
So  nobleness  enkindleth  nobleness. 

This  story  shows  how  completely  Isaac  had  inherited  his 
father's  peace-loving  disposition.  When  the  shepherds  of 
Abraham  and  Lot  had  quarreled,  Abraham  had  yielded  to 
Lot,  and  had  allowed  him  to  choose  the  more  desirable  land. 
Here,  too,  the  shepherds  of  Isaac  quarrel  with  those  of 
Abimelech  for  the  wells  of  water.  But  this  case  was  more 
aggravated.  For  Isaac's  servants  had  discovered  and  dug 
the  wells,  and  according  to  desert  practice  the  wells  be- 
longed to  them.  But  the  servants  of  Abimelech  claimed 


The  Well  of  the  Covenant  193 

them,  probably  upon  the  rather  questionable  grounds  that 
the  land  belonged  to  them.  But  the  story  implies  that  this 
was  no  valid  claim,  and  that  Isaac  had  by  far  the  better 
right  to  the  wells.  Nevertheless  he  yielded  his  rights,  as 
Abraham  had  done,  in  order  to  preserve  peace. 

Peace  is  the  greatest  blessing  of  life.  When  all  men 
shall  live  in  perfect  peace  with  one  another,  then  they  will 
also  live  completely  in  accordance  with  God's  law.  The 
fundamental  task  of  the  servant  of  the  Lord  is  to  preserve 
and  promote  peace  at  all  costs.  And  whoever  does  this  is 
a  true  servant  of  the  Lord.  Rights  are  precious,  and  should 
be  guarded  most  jealously.  Yet  more  precious  at  times  even 
than  the  safeguarding  of  rights  and  mere,  mechanical  jus- 
tice is  peace ;  and  men,  and  nations,  too,  must  learn  to  make 
sacrifices  and  yield  rights  once  and  yet  again  for  the  sake  of 
peace. 

Doubtless  it  was  not  easy  for  Isaac  to  yield.  It  would 
have  been  far  more  natural,  and  possibly  more  agreeable,  too, 
to  say  at  the  very  commencement  of  the  trouble,  "This  well 
is  mine,  for  I  dug  it,  and  I  shall  defend  my  rights  at  all 
costs".  Not  improbably,  too,  he  could  have  defended  him- 
self successfully,  had  the  men  of  Gerar  attacked  him,  for  he 
had  many  servants  and  followers.  But  he  was  mindful  of 
the  teaching  and  example  of  his  father  and  of  his  precious 
birthright  of  service.  Therefore  he  resisted  the  temptation 
to  hold  the  well  at  all  costs,  and  yielded ;  and  not  only  once, 
but  a  second  and  a  third  time.  Thus  he  proved  himself  a 
man  of  peace  like  his  father,  and  worthy  of  his  birthright. 
And  thus  he  established  peace  and  friendship  with  his 
neighbors,  the  people  of  Gerar.  As  the  Bible  says, 

Hatred  stirreth  up  strifes; 

But  love  covereth   all   transgressions. 

Here,  just  as  in  the  majority  of  cases,  hatred  and  opposi- 
tion would  have  meant  strife  and  bloodshed  and  eternal 


194  The  Book  of  Genesis 

enmity ;  it  would  have  meant  that  Isaac  brought,  not  peace, 
but  warfare  to  his  fellowmen,  and  was  unworthy  to  be  the 
servant  of  the  Lord.  But  love  and  forgiveness  and  patient 
forbearance  meant  peace  and  fellowship  and  an  eternal  cove- 
nant of  brotherhood.  The  weak  and  selfish  are  only  too 
prone  to  fight ;  only  the  strong  and  generous  can  forgive  and 
yield.  The  wise  rabbis  used  to  say,  "If  one  refrains  from 
sin  once,  twice  and  thrice,  God  will  guard  him  thereafter, 
and  he  will  triumph  over  sin".  So  it  was  with  Isaac. 

A  charming  story  about  Rabbi  Meir,  the  greatest  disciple 
of  Rabbi  Akiba,  shows  the  limits  to  which  the  true  servant 
of  the  Lord  will  go  in  order  to  preserve  peace.  Rabbi  Meir 
used  to  hold  his  lectures  until  late  in  the  evening.  A  certain 
woman,  whose  soul  thirsted  for  knowledge  of  the  law  of 
God,  used  to  attend  his  lectures.  .  One  evening  she  returned 
home  from  the  school  later  than  usual,  and  found  her  hus- 
band there  before  her,  and  enraged  because  she  was  not  yet 
at  home  and  the  evening  meal  had  not  been  prepared.  He 
was  a  boor,  altogether  without  appreciation  of  the  Torah, 
and  thought  only  of  his  appetites  and  pleasures.  When  he 
heard  that  she  had  remained  away  so  long  just  to  listen  to 
Rabbi  Meir's  lecture,  his  rage  became  extreme,  and  he  drove 
her  from  the  house  and  vowed  that  she  should  never  return 
until  she  had  first  spat  in  the  face  of  her  revered  teacher. 
In  sorrow  and  shame  the  woman  left  the  house.  Almost 
unconsciously  her  feet  carried  her  back  to  the  school,  whence 
she  had  departed  so  joyously  only  a  short  time  before. 
Slowly  and  sadly  she  entered  the  room  where  the  great 
teacher  still  sat  with  a  few  of  his  chosen  disciples.  Now 
the  prophet  Elijah  had  appeared  to  Rabbi  Meir,  and  had 
revealed  to  him  how  the  cruel  husband  had  treated  his  wife. 
When  Rabbi  Meir  saw  the  woman,  he  began  to  blink  his 
eyes  and  to  rub  them  as  if  they  troubled  him.  Then  he 
called  out,  "Does  not  someone  here  know  a  remedy  for 
sore  eyes?"  In  those  days  it  was  a  common  belief  that  if 


The  Well  of  the  Covenant  195 

certain  persons  would  spit  upon  sore  eyes,  they  would  be 
healed.  Therefore  Rabbi  Meir  called  out  what  he  did.  At 
first  there  was  no  response.  But  when  he  had  called  again 
the  woman  came  forward,  trembling  and  abashed,  and  said, 
"Master,  I  can  heal  thine  eyes".  "Do  so",  said  Rabbi  Meir. 
With  that  she  spat  in  his  eyes,  and  immediately  he  ceased 
to  blink.  He  looked  at  her  for  a  moment  mildly  and  benev- 
olently, and  then  he  said,  "Go  home  and  tell  thy  husband 
that  thou  hast  spat  in  the  face  of  Rabbi  Meir". 

It  is  also  told  that  at  one  time  the  people  of  Jerusalem 
were  divided  into  two  factions,  which  hated  each  other  bit- 
terly and  sought  each  other's  destruction  by  every  possible 
means.  At  this  time  there  was  in  Jerusalem  a  man  named 
Onias,  who  belonged  to  neither  party.  He  was  very  old 
and  frail,  and  so  pious  that  it  was  commonly  believed  that 
his  prayers  were  certain  to  be  answered  by  God.  One  day 
the  leaders  of  one  of  the  parties  dragged  him  from  his  home 
and  bade  him  pray  for  the  destruction  of  the  other  faction. 
They  offered  him  rich  rewards  if  he  would  do  their  bid- 
ding, and  threatened  him  with  dire  punishment,  should  he 
refuse.  But  the  old  man  knew  only  how  to  supplicate  God 
for  good  and  not  for  evil.  Unmoved  by  either  promises  or 
threats,  he  quietly  kneeled  down  amid  the  surging  mob,  and 
with  eyes  raised  aloft  he  prayed,  "O  God  of  Israel,  since 
these  are  Thy  children,  and  those  are  Thy  children  also, 
hearken  to  the  evil  prayers  of  neither  the  one  nor  the  other, 
but  grant  them  all  Thy  blessings  of  peace  and  love".-  His 
prayer  was  drowned  by  the  shouts  of  the  angry  mob.  Stones 
fell  thick  and  fast  about  him,  and  the  life  was  speedily 
crushed  from  the  frail  body.  He  died  for  the  sake  of  the 
peace  for  which  he  had  prayed.  Thus  do  the  true  servants 
of  the  Lord  ever  strive  to  preserve  peace. 

Like  Abraham,-  Isaac,  too,  is  typical  of  Israel.  His  love 
of  peace  and  his  willingness  to  yield  his  rights  repeatedly, 
exemplify  the  love  of  peace  which  Israel  has  constantly  ex- 


196  The  Book  of  Genesis 

amplified  among  the  nations  of  the  earth.  Even  as  the 
Philistines  envied  and  hated  Isaac  because  they  saw  that 
the  Lord  was  with  him  and  had  blessed  him,  and  bade 
him  depart  from  their  land,  whither  they  cared  not,  even 
out  into  the  burning  desert,  if  need  be,  to  perish  of  thirst 
and  hunger,  so,  too,  the  nations  have  again  and  again  envied 
and  hated  Israel  because  the  Lord  was  with  it,  and  have 
bidden  it  begone,  they  cared  not  whither  nor  to  what  fate. 
And  time  and  again  Israel  has  yielded  its  rights  to  the  wells 
of  life-giving  water  which  it  has  dug,  and  has  moved  on- 
ward and  ever  onward.  It  has  cost  it  dear,  and  its  suf- 
ferings have  been  bitter.  ,  But  God  has  always  been  with 
it,  and  it  has  always  found  new  wells  from  which  it 
might  drink ;  and  not  it  alone,  but  the  whole  world  might 
drink  with  it.  For  Israel  has  dug  wells,  not  for  itself 
alone,  but  for  all  mankind.  It  is  Israel's  sacred  task,  im- 
posed upon  it  by  its  religious  genius,  to  dig  the  spiritual 
wells  which  the  world  shall  seize,  and  from  which  it  shall 
drink.  Israel  yields  its  wells  for  the  sake  of  peace  and 
of  the  knowledge  of  God.  And  still  we  repeat  reverently 
the  time-honored  prayer  of  our  fathers,  "Grant  us  peace, 
Thy  most  precious  gift,  O  Thou  eternal  source  of  peace, 
and  enable  Israel  to  be  a  messenger  of  peace  unto  the  peo- 
ples of  the  earth". 

And  today,  it  seems,  the  wells  of  "Contention"  and 
"Enmity"  have  been  left  far  behind,  and  we  are  draw- 
ing close  to  Beer-Sheba,  "The  Well  of  the  Covenant", 
where  all  the  world  will  come  together  and  say,  "Let  us 
make  with  one  another  a  covenant  of  peace  and  brotherly 
love,  whereby  we  shall  no  more  seek  one  another's  hurt  nor 
disadvantage,  but  we  shall  ever  dwell  together  in  peace  and 
unison,  helping  one  another,  and  living  the  life  which  God 
has  meant  that  we  should  live".  It  seems  as  if  this  blessed 
time  is  approaching  slowly  but  surely.  And  if  only  Israel 
remains  worthy  of  its  birthright,  and  performs  its  God- 
appointed  task  faithfully  and  loyally,  then  God  will  continue 


The  Well  of  the  Covenant 


197 


to  be  with  it  as  He  was  with  the  patriarchs  of  old,  and 
in  the  end  Israel's  mission  must  be  fulfilled,  and  the  world 
be  filled  with  peace  and  love  and  knowledge  of  God. 

NOTES 

V.  1.  In  time  of  famine  it  was  not  uncommon  for  the  people  of 
Palestine  to  migrate  in  search  of  food.  Usually  they  sought  refuge 
in  Egypt,  or,  as  here,  in  the  fertile  Philistine  plain.  The  monuments 
of  ancient  Egypt  record  many  instances  of  Semitic  peoples  coming 


A  Semitic  Family  Seeking  Entrance  into  Egypt 

down  to  Egypt  for  this  purpose.  Similarly  the  Bible  tells  that  Abra- 
ham went  down  to  Egypt  in  time  of  famine  (XII,  10),  as  did  like- 
wise Jacob  and  his  sons  (XLV,  9ff),  and  that  on  a  similar  occasion 
Elimelech  and  his  family  sought  refuge  in  Moab  (Ruth  I,  1). 

The  Bible  commits  a  very  noticeable  anachronism  here  in  calling 
Abimelech  king  of  the  Philistines.  From  a  great  mass  of  evidence, 
much  of  which  is  derived  from  the  Bible  itself,  we  know  that  the 
Philistines  were  not  natives  of  Palestine,  but  like  the  Israelites 
entered  the  land  as  strangers  and  invaders,  and  conquered  the  south- 
western portion  of  the  country  and  settled  there.  They  came  over 
the  sea  from  the  west,  and  seem  to  have  been  of  Cretan,  and  there- 
fore non-Semitic  stock.  They  entered  Palestine  probably  during  the 
12th  century  B.  C,  shortly  after  the  great  body  of  Israelite  tribes 
had  gained  a  firm  foothold  in  the  country.  Consequently  they. could 
not  have  been  in  the  land  already  in  the  time  of  Abraham.  XX  is 


198 


The  Book  of  Genesis 


historically  more  correct  in  omitting  all  reference  to  the  Philistines 
and  calling  Abimelech  simply  king  of  Gerar. 

The  exact  location  of  Gerar  is  unknown.  It  was,  however,  prob- 
ably located  near  the  southeastern  border  of  the  Philistine  plain, 
touching  upon  the  desert  (cf.  Jewish  Encyclopedia  V,  629f).  It  was 
not  a  large  kingdom,  but  only  a  small  town,  whose  dominion  extended 
over  the  immediately  adjacent  country.  The  boundary-lines  of  such 
a  little  city-state  were  rather  elastic;  therefore  the  shepherds  of 
Gerar  ventured  to  claim  the  wells  which  Isaac  had  dug,  as  being 
within  their  territory,  even  though  they  were  probably  outside  of  the 
normal  boundary-lines. 

V.  7.  As  was  stated  in  the  lesson  proper,  XX,  12  says  that 
Sarah  was  actually  Abraham's  half-sister,  being  the  daughter  of  his 
father,  but  not  of  his  mother.  In  very  ancient  Israel  marriage 
between  half-brother  and  half-sister  on  the  father's  side  was  not 
unknown.  II  Samuel  XIII  gives  an  instance  of  the  possibility  of 
such  marriage  as  late  as  the  time  of  David.  However  this  form  of 
marriage  was  ultimately  forbidden  in  Israel  (cf.  Leviticus  XVIII,  9V 

V.  12.  A  crop  of  a  hundredfold  was  exceedingly  large;  cf. 
Thomson,  The  Land  and  the  Book,  I,  116ff. 

"In  the  same  year";  the  year  began  in  the  fall.  The  seed  was 
planted  shortly  after  new  year's  day,  and  the  grain  was  harvested  in 
the  sipring  of  the  same  year. 


The  Great  Well  at  Beersheba 

V.  19.  By  "living  water"  (Hebrew,  mayim  hayyim}  the  Bible 
means  a  spring  or  well  which  bubbles  up  out  of  the  earth. 

V.  20.  The  names  of  the  wells  are  symbolic  of  Isaac's  relations 
with  the  people  of  Gerar.  Esek  means  "contention,"  sitnah,  "enmity," 
and  rehoboth,  "room,  expansion'. 

V.  25.     Cf.  note  to  XII,  7. 


The  Well  of  the  Covenant  199 

V.  30.  Among  the  ancient  Semites  a  covenant  was  frequently 
solemnized  by  the  contracting  parties  partaking  together  of  a  meal. 
So  Isaac  now  prepares  the  covenant  meal  for  himself  and  Abimelech. 
Cf.  also  XXXI,  46  and  54.  For  a  most  illuminating  account  of  the 
nature  and  effect  of  such  a  food-covenant  cf.  Thomson,  The  Land 
and  the  Book,  U.  41  f. 

V.  33.  "Unto  this  day",  i.  e.,  of  course,  until  the  time  of  the 
writer  of  this  narrative. 

In  addition  to  the  two  explanations  of  the  name  Beer-sheba  cited 
in  the  lesson,  the  rabbis  suggested  a  third  explanation.  They  said 
that  this  was  the  same  well  which,  so  XXI,  25  tells,  Abraham  had 
dug.  According  to  their  tradition  Abraham  had  had  to  dig  in  three 
different  places  before  he  located  this  well.  And  according  to  XXVI 
this  was  the  fourth  well  which  Isaac  had  dug;  hence  the  name  Beer- 
sheba,  "The  well  of  the  seven  diggings".  They  also  said  that  this 
well  accompanied  the  patriarchs  upon  all  their  wanderings,  and  is 
also  to  supply  Jerusalem  with  water  when  the  Messiah  shall  come 
and  establish  his  kingdom  there.  (Cf.  Ginsburg,  Legends  of  the 
Jcivs,  I,  324).  Of  course  this  tradition  is  altogether  without  his- 
torical and  philological  grounds,  and  is  purely  fanciful. 

It  has  been  frequently  suggested  that  there  were  originally  seven 
wells  at  this  spot,  and  therefore  the  place  received  its  name,  Beer- 
sheba,  i.  e.  "the  seven  wells".  However,  while  it  is  true  that  there 
are  a  number  of  wells,  some  three  or  four,  at  this  place,  there  is 
not  the  slightest  evidence  that  there  were  ever  as  many  as  seven. 
Xor  does  Beer-sheba  mean  "the  seven  wells",  but  at  the  most,  only 
"the  well  of  seven". 


Abraham's  Well,  Beersheba 


200  The  Book  of  Genesis 


THE  UNITY  OF  THE  JACOB  STORY 

As  was  stated  in  the  Introduction  (pp.  1-13),  the  Jacob 
cycle  of  stories  consists  of  a  group  of  ancient  traditions  and 
legends,  which  center  about  the  figure  of  Jacob.  These  tra- 
ditions were  originally  independent  of  each  other,  and  arose 
at  different  times,  in  different  localities,  and  for  different 
purposes.  Thus,  for  example,  the  story  of  Jacob  wrestling 
with  the  "angel"  (XXXII,  25-33),  told  originally  of  an  evil 
spirit  of  the  night,  which  attacked  Jacob  and  sought  to  kill 
him,  but  Jacob  proved  more  powerful  than  it  and  wrested 
a  blessing  from  it.1  However,  Jacob  did  not  emerge  from 

1  Arabic  tradition  records  an  interesting  and  significant  parallel 
to  this  legend.  Damiri  tells  in  the  Musnad  that  one  of  the  com- 
panions of  the  Pjophet  Mohammed  met  one  of  the  genii,  who 
wrestled  with  him  and  sought  to  throw  him  to  the  ground.  The 
man  said  to  him;  "I  see  that  you  are  slender  as  though  your  arms 
were  the  forelegs  of  a  dog;  are  all  you  genii  like  this,  or  are  you 
alone  among  them  so?"  To  this  the  genius  replied,  "I  alone  am  so 
strong;  .but  resume  the  contact,  and  if  you  throw  me  down,  I  shall 
teach  you  something  beneficial  to  you".  They  wrestled  again,  and 
the  man  threw  the  genius  to  the  ground.  Thereupon  the  latter  said, 
"Recite,  'Allah,  there  is  no  deity  but  him,  the  living,  the  self-sub- 
sistent!'  There  is  no  house  in  which  you  recite  this,  but  out  of  it 
Satan  will  come,  and  will  not  reenter  until  morning".  Damiri,  JJayat 
al-Hayawan,  Trans.  Jayakar,  I,  463. 


The  Unity  of  the  Jacob  Story  201 

the  contest  unscathed.  He  was  wounded  in  the  hip  and 
limped.  Therefore  his  descendants,  the  children  of  Israel, 
do  not  eat  the  sinew  of  the  thigh.  Quite  a  number  of  Arab 
tribes,  who  are  of  the  same  Semitic  race  as  Israel,  and  have 
many  similar  customs,  still  today  do  not  eat  the  chief 
muscle  of  the  hindquarter  out  of  superstitious  fear  that  it 
will  make  them  ill.1  The  same  custom  was  practiced  by 
certain  North  American  Indian  tribes,  who  accounted  for 
the  origin  of  this  rite  by  a  very  interesting  story.2"  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  this  same  practice  existed  in  Israel 
from  antiquity  so  remote  that  its  real  origin  and  purpose 
were  forgotten  at  a  comparatively  early  date,  and  that  this 
tradition  of  Jacob  limping  after  his  bout  with  the  evil  spirit 
of  the  night  arose  in  time  to  account  for  it. 

1  Musil,  Arabia  Petraea,  III,   150. 

2  The    story    as    recorded    by    Frazer    (The    Golden    Bough;    The 
Spirits  of  the   Corn  and  the   Wild,   II,  265),  is   as   follows:     "Once 
upon  a  time  a  man  found  a  burrow  of  porcupines,  and  going  down 
into   it  after  the  porcupines   he   lost  his   way   in   the   darkness,   till   a 
kind  giant,  called  'He  who  sees  before  and  behind',  released  him  by 
cleaving  open  the  earth.     So  the  man,  whose  name  was  Tireless  and 
Homeless',  lived  with  the  kind  giant,  and  the  giant  hunted  elans  and 
beavers    for   him,    and   carried   him    about  in   the   sheath   of   his   flint 
knife.      'But   know,    my   son,'    said   the   giant,   'that   he 'who   uses   the 
sky   as    his   head   is    angry   with   me   and   has    sworn   my    destruction. 
If   he  slays  me  the   clouds   will  be  tinged  with   my  blood;   they  will 
be  red   with   it,  probably.'     Then  he  gave   the  man  an   axe  made  of 
the  tooth  of  a  gigantic  beaver,  and  went  forth  to  meet  his  foe.     But 
from  under  the   ice  the  man  heard  a  dull  muffled  sound.     It  was  a 
whale  which  was   making  this  noise  because  it  was  naked  and  cold. 
Warned  by  the   man,  the  giant  went  toward  the  whale,   which   took 
human  shape,  and  rushed  upon  the  giant.     It  was  the  wicked  giant, 
the    kind    giant's    enemy.      The    two    struggled    together    for    a    long 
time,  till  the  kind  giant  cried,  'Oh,  my  son!  cut,  cut  the  sinew  of  the 
leg/     The   man   cut  the   sinew,  and  the  wicked   giant   fell   down   and 
was  slain.     That  is  why  the  Indians  do  not  eat  the  sinew  of  the  leg. 
Afterwards,  one  day  the  sky  suddenly  flushed  a  ifiery  red,  so  Fireless 
and  Homeless  knew  that  the  kind  giant  was  no  more,  and  he  wept". 
Cf.   ibid.  264-267   for   further   instances   of   the   same   custom. 


202  The  Book  of  Genesis 

A  few  of  these  traditions  were  local  in  character.  Thus 
the  story  of  Jacob  asleep  in  the  field,  of  his  dream  and  his 
subsequent  realization  that  this  spot  in  which  he  had  inad- 
vertently lain  down  to  sleep  was  a  sacred  place,  in  which 
the  (or  a)  Deity  was  present  (XXVIII,  10-22),  arose  to 
account  for  the  origin  and  sanctity  of  the  great  northern 
national  shrine  at  Bethel.  The  story  implies  that  Jacob  dis- 
covered the  presence  of  the  Deity  at  Bethel,  and  therefore 
set  up  the  sacred  stone  pillar  there,  and  founded  the  original 
sanctuary,  and  instituted  the  practice  of  bringing  tithes 
thither. 

The  story  of  the  covenant  between  Jacob  and  Laban 
(XXXI,  22-54),  centers  about  the  place  east  of  the  Jordan, 
probably  known  as  Mizpeh  in  Gilead,  which  marked  the 
boundary  line  between  the  territory  of  Israel,  typified  by 
Jacob,  the  traditional  ancestor  of  Israel,  and  the  territory  of 
the  Syrians  or  Aramaeans  to  the  north,  typified  by  Laban 
the  Aramaean.  Such  a  treaty  was,  in  all  likelihood,  actually 
made  between  Israel  and  Syria  during  the  reign  of  Ahab 
(875-854  B.  C.).  This  story  must  have  had  its  origin  in 
this  period. 

The  story  of  Jacob  at  Shechem  (XXXIII,  18-XXV,  4), 
probably  arose  to  account  for,  or  to  justify,  Israelite  posses- 
sion of  the  important  and  powerful  Canaanite  city  of  She- 
chem in  central  Palestine.  Since  Shechem  was  still  a  Canaan- 
ite city,  and  had  not  yet  passed  into  Israelite  hands  in  the 
days  of  Gideon  and  his  son  Abimelech  (Judges  IX),  it  fol- 
lows that  this  story,  at  least  in  its  present  form,  could  not 
have  been  conceived  until  after  that  time,  at  the  very  earliest, 
therefore,  not  before  the  12th  century  B.  C. 

Likewise  XXXII,  2-3,  tells  of  a  place  east  of  the  Jordan 
to  which  Jacob  gave  the  name  Mahanaim.  This  place  later 
became  the  seat  of  government  of  the  petty  kingdom  of 
Ishbosheth,  after  the  death  of  Saul  and  his  other  sons  at 
the  hands  of  the  Philistines  (II  Samuel  II,  8fL).  The  verses 


The  Unity  of  the  Jacob  Story  203 

tell  that  Jacob  called  the  place  Mafianaim,  i.  e.,  "the  two 
camps",  because  he  was  met  there  by  angels,  and  when  he 
saw  them  he  said,  "This  is  God's  camp".  It  is  clear  that 
these  angels  did  not  merely  meet  Jacob,  but  that  something 
must  have  transpired  on  the  occasion,  and  that  there  must 
have  been  not  one,  but  two  camps.  In  other  words,  there 
must  have  been  a  considerable  legend  of  Jacob  at  Mahanaim, 
and  of  what  befell  him  when  he  was  met  by  the  angels,  or 
whatever  these  may  have  been  in  the  original  legend,  to 
which  the  compilers  of  the  Jacob  cycle  of  stories  merely 
refer,  but  which  unfortunately,  for  some  unknown  reason, 
they  do  not  preserve  in  full. 

A  moment's  consideration  suggests  also  that  the  stories 
of  Jacob  securing  his  brother's  birthright  by  selfish  cunning, 
and  of  his  obtaining,  likewise  by  cunning  and  deceit,  the 
blessing  of  his  father,  which  was  intended  for  his  older 
brother,  were  originally  parallel  versions  of  one  and  the 
same  incident.  There  is  actually  little  or  no  difference  in 
practical  effect  between  the  birthright  and  the  blessing.  Both 
were  intended  for  the  older  son,  and  both  secured  for  the 
recipient  the  same  advantages,  lordship  over  the  other 
brother  and  an  undue  portion  of  the  bounties  of  the  earth. 

It  is  clear,  therefore,  that,  as  has  been  stated,  these  vari- 
ous Jacob  traditions  and  legends  arose  independently  of  each 
other,  at  different  times  and  places,  and  as  the  result  of 
varying  forces  and  conditions  in  ancient  Israel,  and  that  the 
present  Jacob  cycle  is  the  product  of  a  process  of  literary 
compilation  and  editing,  rather  than  of  creative  authorship. 
We  have  already  learned  that  the  creation-flood  and  the 
Abraham  cycles  of  stories  were  also  the  products  of  similar 
processes,  and  that  in  both  the  compilers  did  their  work  in 
accordance  with  set  plan  and  purpose,  in  order  to  give  con- 
crete expression  to  what  they  conceived  to  be  fundamental 
principles  of  Judaism.  Inasmuch  as  the  Jacob  cycle  is  the 
product  of  a  similar  process  of  compilation,  it  is  to  be  in- 


204  The  Book  of  Genesis 

f erred  that  it,  too,  is  not  the  result  of  random,  unsystematic 
effort,  but  is  animated  by  a  definite  purpose  and  one  central 
theme. 

One  important  fact  must  be  noted  at  the  outset.  This 
Jacob  cycle  of  stones  differs  in  a  very  essential  respect  from 
either  the  creation-flood  cycle  or  the  Abraham  cycle.  In  the 
Abraham  cycle  the  various  stories  are  but  loosely  connected. 
Almost  any  one,  with  the  possible  exception  of  the  stories  of 
the  call  of  Abraham  and  of  the  sacrifice  of  Isaac,  might 
have  been  omitted  without  having  seriously  impaired  the 
unity  of  the  Abraham  story  as  a  whole,  and  without  our 
being  conscious  that  anything  was  lacking.  Thus,  for  ex- 
ample, all  the  stories  referring  to  Lot  might  have  been  re- 
jected by  the  compilers,  and  while  it  is  true  that  thereby  the 
accounts  of  several  trials  of  Abraham  would  have  been  lost, 
and  the  story  would  thereby  be  much  poorer  spiritually, 
nevertheless  the  Abraham  cycle  as  a  whole  would  have  pre- 
sented a  perfectly  complete  and  well-rounded  story. 

To  a  somewhat  less  degree  this  is  true  of  the  creation- 
flood  cycle  also.  A  slight  dependence  of  one  story  upon  its 
predecessor  is  manifest  there.  Thus  the  story  of  the  Tower 
of  Babel  would  be  almost  meaningless  except  as  the  sequel, 
as  it  were,  of  the  story  of  the  flood.  Yet  the  dependence 
here,  and  throughout  this  creation-flood  cycle,  is  a  dependence 
of  thought  rather  than  of  incident.  Each  story  is  in  itself 
a  unit  of  narration,  which  can  be  told  by  itself  and  convey 
the  impression  of  completeness.  The  unity  of  the  creation- 
flood  cycle  is  purely  a  unity  of  the  Jewish  thought  and  doc- 
trine which  animate  and  correlate  all  these  stories. 

But  the  Jacob  cycle  is  different.  While  the  unity  of 
thought  is  not  immediately  apparent,  the  unity  of  narration 
becomes  manifest  at  once.  Hardly  a  single  incident  of  the 
Jacob  story  could  be  told  by  itself  and  be  perfectly  intel- 
ligible. One  event  flows  out  of  another,  and  in  turn  leads 
up  to  something  else.  For  example,  to  tell  the  story  of 


The  Unity  of  the  Jacob  Story  205 

Jacob's  winning  of  Rachel  without  having  first  told  of 
Esau's  hatred  of  Jacob  and  of  the  latter's  consequent  flight 
from  home,  would  be  tantamount  to^  beginning  a  long  serial 
story  in  the  middle  without  knowing  anything  of  the  causes 
and  events  which  preceded  and  paved  the  way  for  this 
episode.  Or,  even  more  indicative,  the  story  of  Jacob's  final 
meeting  and  reconciliation  with  Esau  would  be  absolutely 
unintelligible  without  a  full  knowledge  of  their  previous 
relations.  In  other  words,  unlike  the  creation-flood  and 
Abraham  cycles  of  stories,  we  have  here,  in  the  present 
Biblical  form,  not  a  group  of  independent  Jacob  stories, 
united  by  a  common  theme,  but  one  single  Jacob  story,  which 
is  a  unit  of  narration  as  well  as  of  thought. 

The  procedure  of  the  compilers  is  easily  perceived.  They 
took  the  old,  independent  Jacob  traditions,  and  wove  them 
together  into  one  complex  and  highly  dramatic  narrative. 
The  legend  of  the  struggles  of  the  two  brothers  in  the 
womb  of  their  mother  serves  as  an  effective  introduction  or 
prelude  to  the  story,  in  that  it  foreshadows  dramatically  the 
future  relations  of  the  two  men.  The  story  of  the  father's 
blessing,  originally,  in  all  likelihood,  a  parallel  version  of  the 
birthright  story,  they  presented  as  a  subsequent  and  supple- 
mentary incident  in  the  relations  of  Jacob  and  Esau.  Thereby 
they  heightened  the  dramatic  effect  of  the  situation  and 
brought  out  the  contrasted  characters  of  the  two  men  more 
pointedly  and  emphatically.  Esau  unspiritual,  rash,  lacking 
in  foresight  and  judgment,  revengeful,  animal  in  his  uncon- 
trolled desires  and  passions,  yet  not  without  the  saving  grace 
of  loving  consideration  for  his  father.  And  Jacob  restrained, 
foresighted,  selfish,  cunning  and  deceitful,  unscrupulous  in 
securing  his  ends,  yet  managing  always  to  justify  himself  in 
some  way,  and  to  secure  illegitimate  gains  by  dubious,  yet 
superficially  legitimate  methods.  Hence  Esau  hates  his 
brother,  and  Jacob  must  flee  for  his  life.  But  at  the  very- 
beginning  of  his  journey  God  reveals  Himself  to  him  and 


206  The  Book  of  Genesis 

promises  to  be  with  him  upon  the  journey,  and  in  time  t-o 
bring  him  back  to  his  home  land  and  to  his  father's  house. 
And,  as  these  writers  constantly  imply,  God  does  not  mani- 
fest Himself  to  individuals  out  of  mere  personal  interest  in 
them  or  solicitude  for  their  individual  welfare,  but  only 
because  He  has  some  deep,  yet  unrevealed  purpose  with 
them. 

Already  a  change  is  manifest  in  Jacob.  He  had  been 
willing  to  hazard  his  relations  with  his  family  in  order  to 
secure  his  own  selfish  ends.  But  now  his  one  desire  and 
prayer  are  that  he  may  return,  and  in  peace,  to  his  father's 
house.  He  seems  vaguely  conscious  that  this  journey,  the 
real  duration  of  which  he  can  not  suspect,  is  to  be  the  neces- 
sary preparation  for  this  return  and  reconciliation.  His 
mother  had  bidden  him  leave  home  for  a  few  days,  until 
his  brother's  anger  should  have  passed.  Little  did  either 
imagine  that  these  few  days  would  become  twenty  years,  and 
that  they  should  never  see  each  other  again.  The  ironic 
tragedy  of  the  situation  is  readily  apparent. 

But  even  more  is  implied  in  this  situation,  and  in  the 
words  of  Jacob's  prayer  (XXVIII,  20-22).  God  had  said 
that  He  would  be  with  Jacob  on  all  this  journey.  The. sub- 
sequent story  shows  how  faithfully  God  kept  His  word.  It 
tells  also  that  only  at  the  end  of  twenty  years  did  God  bid 
Jacob  return  to  his  home  land  and  to  his  father's  house.  It 
implies  thereby  that  Jacob  had  remained  away  all  these  years 
under  God's  providence  and  in  accordance  with  God's  will 
and  purpose.  What  God's  purpose  was,  must  be  determined 
later. 

The  story  continues  with  the  account  of  Jacob's  meeting 
with  Rachel  and  their  mutual  love.  The  delicate  touch  of 
romance,  which  the  compilers  understood  so  well  how  to 
employ,  is  apparent  in  the  picture  of  Jacob  serving  seven 
years  for  Rachel,  and  in  the  words,  "And  they  seemed  unto 
him  but  a  few  days,  for  the  love  he  had  to  her"  (XXIX,  20). 


The  Unity  of  the  Jacob  Story  207 

Another  dramatic  situation,  of  which  the  compilers  did  not 
fail  to  take  full  advantage,  exists  in  the  substitution  of  Leah 
for  Rachel,  and  in  the  simple,  yet  direct  and  forceful  words, 
"And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  morning-  that,  behold,  it  was 
Leah"  (XXIX,  25).  This  is  really  the  reversal  of  an  earlier 
situation  of  the  story.  Just  as  Jacob  had  impersonated  his 
brother  to-  secure  the  coveted  blessing,  which  belonged  by 
right  to  Esau,  so  here  Leah  impersonates  her  sister  to  secure 
for  herself  the  husband  who  should  have  been  Rachel's. 
This  motive  of  the  deceiver  being  deceived  is  common  in  all 
literature. 

Furthermore,  we  have  learned  that  in  ancient  Israel  mar- 
riage with  a  cousin  was  considered  the  highest  type  of  mar- 
riage. The  story  of  Isaac's  obtaining  his  cousin  Rebekah, 
artistic  and  spiritual  though  it  is,  is  nevertheless  in  itself 
an  independent  incident  of  the  Abraham  cycle  of  stories, 
without  which  the  unity  of  the  Abraham  story  would  never- 
theless have  been  complete.  It  is  merely  the  connecting  link 
between  the  Abraham  cycle  and  the  Jacob  cycle,  and  shows 
that  the  patriarch  Isaac  found  the  very  best  possible  wife, 
and  that  his  descendants  sprang  from  a  marriage  of  the 
highest  type.  But  here  the  motive  of  Jacob's  marriage  with, 
not  one,  but  two  cousins,  is  integral  and  vital.  Without  it 
the  story  would  limp  exceedingly,  or  would,  in  fact,  be  no 
story. 

And  still  more  is  implied.  God  had  said  that  He  would 
be  with  Jacob  upon  this  journey."  Jacob  must  have  regarded 
his  meeting  with  Rachel  at  the  very  moment  of  his  arrival, 
and  the  love  which  immediately  sprang  up  between  them,  as 
a  sign  that  God  was  true  to  His  word.  Time  and  again  the 
story  affirms  that  Jacob  knew  with  ever-increasing  conviction 
that  God  was  with  him.  He  could  not  but  see  in  the  de- 
ception whereby  the  hated  Leah  had  become  his  wife,  in- 
stead of  the  beloved  Rachel,  only  the  counterpart  of  his  own 
deception  practiced  upon  his  unsuspecting  brother.  How 


208  The  Book  of  Genesis 

would  lie  bear  this  deception?  Would  he  seek  revenge  as 
Esau  had  done,  or  would  he  regard  it  as  merited,  and  sub- 
mit without  further  question  or  strife?  The  story  tells  that 
Jacob  chose  the  latter  course,  and  implies  that  he  was  con- 
scious that  in  this,  as  in  everything,  God  was  with  him,  and 
that  this  was  a  part  of  God's  discipline. 

Then  follows  the  account  of  Jacob's  marriage  with 
Rachel  also,  and  of  the  children  which  were  born  to  him. 
Thus  passed  the  first  two  seven-year  periods  in  the  service 
of  Laban.  With  the  third  period  a  new  moment  in  the 
drama  of  Jacob's  life  begins.  In  his  distress  Jacob  had 
learned  to  rely  upon  God's  promise  to  be  with  him,  and  to 
see  God's  hand  in  everything  which  befell  him.  But  these 
last  years  of  satisfied  desire  and  family  happiness  had  tended 
to  reawaken  the  old  dormant  Jacob,  to  make  him  once  again 
self -centered,  self-reliant  and  self-seeking.  As  his  family 
grew,  the  conviction  became  stronger  that  he  must  himself 
begin  to  provide  for  them  and  their  future.  Material 
thoughts  and  desires  once  more  filled  his  mind,  and  he  knew 
of  only  one  way  to  satisfy  them.  Laban  had  deceived  him 
in  regard  to  Leah,  yet  Jacob  had  held  his  peace.  But  now 
Jacob  in  turn  practiced  a  trick  upon  his  uncle,  whereby  he 
secured  for  himself  an  undue  portion  of  the  flocks.  It  was 
a  trick,  the  secret  of  which  seemingly  was  known  only  to 
him,  and  therefore  it  could  not  be  detected.  But  it  was  a 
deception  none  the  less.  True,  Laban  met  this  deception 
with  faithlessness,  and  changed  Jacob's  wages  repeatedly. 
Yet  Jacob,  it  is  implied,  knew  always  how  to  gain  the  ad- 
vantage. Thus  his  wealth  increased  exceedingly,  until  La- 
ban's  sons  began  to  eye  him  enviously  and  suspiciously,  and 
it  seemed  that  they  could  not  abide  together  much  longer. 
Then  God's  command  came  to  return  to  his  home  land  and 
to  his  father's  house. 

But  how  does  Jacob  return?  He  might  have  expected, 
in  the  normal  course  of  things,  to  depart  honorably  and  in 


The  Unity  of  the  Jacob  Story  209 

peace.  Ostensibly  he  had  fulfilled  his  compact  with  Laban. 
Yet  he  slinks  away  in  fear  and  unknown  to  Laban.  And 
when  Laban  at  last  overtakes  him,  and  chides  him  for  hav- 
ing stolen  away,  Jacob  can  offer  only  a  lame  excuse.  Yet 
in  the  end,  after  Laban  had  failed  to  find  his  stolen  gods, 
they  make  a  covenant  and  part  in  friendship,  to  Jacob's 
great  relief. 

Here,  too,  the  dramatic  sense  of  the  compilers  is  readily 
manifest.  Jacob  had  said,  "With  whomsoever  thou  findest 
thy  gods,  he  shall  not  live"  (XXXI,  32).  Unconsciously  he 
had  pronounced  the  death  sentence;  and  upon  whom? — here 
again  is  real  tragedy — upon  his  beloved  Rachel.  When 
Laban  fails  to  find  the  stolen  gods,  the  danger  seems  past. 
But  divine  retribution  can  not  be  escaped,  and  the  words  of 
an  oath,  such  as  Jacob  had  uttered,  must,  according  to  an- 
cient belief,  be  fulfilled.  And  so  the  story  tells  in  its  sequel, 
that  Rachel  died  in  childbirth,  shortly  before  the  end  of  the 
journey  (XXXV,  16-20).  Without  this  conclusion  the  story 
would  be  incomplete. 

Furthermore,  just  as  Laban's  earlier  relations  with  Jacob 
but  mirror  the  latter's  previous  relations  with  Esau,  so  now 
Jacob's  later  relations  with  Laban  foreshadow  the  reception 
which  he  might  expect  from  his  brother.  Jacob  had  de- 
ceived Laban ;  but  Laban  had  first  deceived  him.  But  if 
Laban  had  been  so  enraged  at  having  been  deceived,  even 
though  he  must  have  felt  that  it  was  not  altogether  un- 
merited, how  must  Esau  feel,  who  had  been  so  innocently 
and  cruelly  deceived  by  Jacob? 

During  the  first  part  of  his  sojourn  with  Laban,  Jacob 
had  relied  upon  God's  promise  that  He  would  be  with  him, 
and  he  had  been  fortunate  and  happy.  But  during  these 
last  six  years  increasing  prosperity  had  led  him  to  trust 
more  and  more  in  his  own  strength  and  cunning.  And 
materially  he  had  prospered  thereby,  even  though  he  had 


210  The  Book  of  Genesis 

almost  perished  at  Laban's  hands,  and  would  have  perished 
had  not  God  intervened. 

Now  that  the  danger  was  past,  Jacob  must  prepare  for 
the  greater  danger  of  the  meeting  with  Esau.  We  would 
expect  that  now  he  would  remember  God's  word  that  he 
should  return  in  peace  to  his  father's  house.  But  the  habits 
of  the  last  six  years  were  too  strong  to  be  shaken  off  in  a 
moment.  He  failed  to  realize  that  only  through  God's  inter- 
vention had  he  escaped  this  last  danger,  and  his  mind  was 
full  of  plans  how  he  might  meet  Esau,  and  avert  his  wrath 
;with  as  little  sacrifice  as  possible.  He  would  send  mes- 
[sengers  to  apprise  Esau  of  his  coming,  and  with  instructions 
to  notice  carefully  and  bring  back  speedy  report  of  how 
Esau  received  this  news,  and  what  were  the  prospects  of 
reconciliation.  They  might  hint,  too,  that  Jacob  had  pros- 
pered exceedingly,  and  would  make  due  compensation,  if 
necessary,  for  the  wrong  done  to  Esau.  And  at  the  actual 
meeting  with  his  brother,  Jacob  would  act  warily  and 
craftily. 

Unfortunately  for  Jacob,  his  plans  miscarried  from  the 
outset.  The  messengers  brought  back  word  that  Esau  was 
hastening  to  meet  him  with  four  hundred  men.  Their  pur- 
pose was  unmistakable.  It  was  too  late  to  flee  with  all  his 
family  and  possessions.  Esau  could  have  overtaken  him  as 
easily  as  Laban  had  done.  Nothing  remained  but  to  meet 
him,  and  to  take  every  possible  precaution.  And  now,  in  his 
distress,  when  all  his  planning  and  scheming  had  availed 
naught,  Jacob  bethought  himself  of  that  other  source  of  help 
and  protection,  whom  he  had  well  nigh  forgotten  during 
these  six  years  of  material  prosperity,  God.  And  he  turned 
to  Him  with  a  fervent  prayer,  acknowledging  his  littleness 
and  unworthiness,  and  imploring  help  and  protection  in  this 
moment  of  peril.  Yet  how  could  he  tell  whether  his  prayer 
would  be  answered?  Prosperity  through  deceit  during  these 
six  years  had  dulled  the  edge  of  his  faith.  If  God  would 


The  Unity  of  the  Jacob  Story  211 

save  him,  well  and  good;  but  if  not,  then  all  the  more  must 
he  endeavor  to  save  himself.  So  he  prepared  his  present 
for  Esau,  and  marshalled  it  to  best  advantage,  and  sent  it 
on  before  him.  His  wives  and  children  and  the  entire  camp 
he  set  over  the  stream.  He  himself  remained  alone  upon  the 
farther  bank. 

The  Bible  gives  not  the  slightest  intimation  of  why  Jacob 
remained  alone  upon  the  farther  bank,  instead  of  crossing 
with  the  rest.  Clearly  he  wanted  to  be  alone.  But  why? 
The  next  morning  he  must  surely  meet  Esau.  If  he  would 
still  escape,  it  was  his  last  chance.  Obviously  here  is  the 
climax  of  the  story. 

There  follows  that  mysterious  incident  of  Jacob  wrestling. 
The  compilers  have  purposely  changed  the  original  evil 
spirit  of  the  night  into  a  man,  as  they  call  it.  Yet  he,  too, 
must  be  gone  by  dawn.  Unconsciously  we  feel  that  it  is 
no  real  man,  but  a  supernatural  something,  which,  if  con- 
quered, can  be  made  to  bestow  blessing.  We  do  not  know 
what  it  was,  nor  just  how  the  compilers  themselves  con- 
ceived of  it.  We  know  only  this,  that  Jacob  emerged  from 
the  conflict  a  different  man,  weary  and  limping,  yet  victor 
withal.  And  in  symbol  thereof,  and  in  true  blessing,  his 
name  was  changed  from  Jacob  (Ya'akob)'  "the  Deceiver", 
to  Israel  (Yisra'cl),  "the  Conqueror",  "for  thou  hast  striven 
with  God  and  with  men,  and  hast  prevailed"  (XXXII,  29). 
Unconsciously  we  feel  that  the  words,  "thou  hast  striven 
with  God  and  with  men,  and  hast  prevailed",  refer  not 
merely  to  this  one  night  of  combat,  but  also  to  the  past 
twenty  years,  of  sojourn  with  Laban,  and  the  purgation  and 
preparation  which  he  had  undergone  there.  The  effects  of 
the  last  six  years  are  shaken  off,  and  the  old  Jacob  is  gone 
forever.  The  new,  purified  Israel  now  steps  forth,  and  hum- 
bly now,  and  supplicatingly  he  goes  tc  meet  his  brother,  pre- 
pared to  accept  unresistingly  whatever  his  brother  might  put 
upon  him. 


212  The  Book  of  Genesis 

But  to  his  glad  surprise  his  hrother  meets  him,  not  in 
anger,  but  in  peace.  He,  too,  has  prospered,  and  he,  too, 
seeks  only  reconciliation.  So  Jacob  returned  in  peace  to  his 
father's  house,  and  God  was  with  him  and  fulfilled  His 
word.  But  it  was  no  more  the  old,  deceitful  Jacob,  but  a 
new,  purified  Israel,  "the  Champion  of  God". 

Such  is  the  Jacob  story  in  its  present  form.  It  is  no 
longer  a  mere  collection  or  cycle  of  stories,  but  the  skillful 
hands  of  the  compilers  have  welded  it  together  into  one 
single  story,  or,  possibly  better,  in  view  of  the  marked  dra- 
matic, and  at  times  even  tragic,  note,  one  single,  powerful 
drama.  In  fact,  it  might  well  be  arranged  for  dramatic 
presentation  thus : 

Prelude — The  pre-natal  struggles  of  the  brothers. 

Act  I,  Scene  1— The  birthright. 

Scene  2 — The  father's  blessing. 

Act  II — Jacob's  vision  of  God  at  Bethel. 

Act  III — Jacob's  family,  and  the  beginning  of  his  puri- 
fication during  the  first  fourteen  years  with  Laban. 

Act  IV — Jacob  and  Laban. 

Act  V — The  night  of  wrestling  and  the  morning  there- 
after. 

This  scheme  shows  the  unmistakable,  unified,  dramatic 
form  and  character  of  the  Jacob  story. 

It  is  inconceivable,  as  has  been  said,  that  these  compilers 
should  have  done  their  work  aimlessly,  or  moved  only  by 
inner  compulsion  to  satisfy  an  artistic  and  dramatic  impulse. 
The  creation-flood  and  the  Abraham  cycles  have  shown  that 
they  were  actuated  by  deep  religious  purpose  and  conviction, 
and  that  dramatic  effects  were  merely  incidental  products  of 
their  unmistakable  artistic  genius.  The  Joseph  story  will 
prove  this  even  more  conclusively.  And  did  the  Moses  story 
come  within  the  province  of  this  work,  it  would  add  con- 
vincing and  irrefutable  proof  thereto.  The  compilers  of  the 


The  Unity  of  the  Jacob  Story  213 

creation-flood  and  the  Abraham  cycles,  and  of  the  Joseph 
and  Moses  stories,  were  likewise  the  compilers  of  the  Jacob 
story.  Unquestionably  in  this  drama  they  were  animated  by 
a  like  purpose. 

After  having  analyzed  the  Jacob  story  and  proved  its 
essential  unity,  it  is  not  at  all  difficult  to  determine  what 
the  purpose  of  the  compilers  was.  The  central  figure  is 
Jacob.  The  story  begins  with  his  deception  of  his  brother, 
and  concludes  with  their  reconciliation.  Jacob  had  wronged 
Esau  because  of  his  own  deceitful  nature  and  selfish  im- 
pulses. He  was  enabled  to  become  reconciled  with  Esau 
only  by  having  battled  with,  and  having  at  last  triumphed 
over  his  base  impulses,  or,  as  the  story  puts  it  very  literally, 
by  actually  becoming  a  different  man,  no  longer  Jacob,  "the 
Deceiver",  but  Israel,  "the  Champion  of  God".  Throughout 
his  twenty  years'  sojourn  in  a  foreign  land,  God  had  been 
with  him,  not  merely  to  protect  and  prosper  him  in  material 
things,  but,  by  allowing  trials,  disappointments,  deceptions, 
and  sufferings  to  befall  him  as  a  necessary  part  of  his  dis- 
cipline, to  help  him  purify  himself  of  his  base  inclinations, 
and  to  transform  him  from  the  old  Jacob  to  the  new  Israel. 
During  the  last  six  years  of  his  sojourn  with  Laban,  Jacob 
had  thought  that  he  could  rely  upon  his  own  efforts  and 
cunning,  and  the  old  Jacob  had  reasserted  himself.  But  this 
had  led  him  near  to  destruction.  Just  in  time  did  he  come 
to  realize  that  only  by  trusting  implicitly  in  God's  promise, 
and  in  following  the  course,  which,  it  seemed,  God  had 
marked  out  for  him,  could  he  prosper  truly,  and  could  last- 
ing happiness  and  blessing  be  his.  The  climax  of  the  story 
is  that  dramatic  scene  where  Jacob  wrestles  through  all  the 
long,  dark  night,  and  as  the  dawn  breaks,  he  emerges  from 
the  combat  victorious,  with  the  old  Jacob  gone  forever,  and 
the  new  Israel  ready  now  to  live  the  life  which  the  true 
servant  of  the  Lord,  who  inherited  the  birthright  of  Abra- 
ham and  Isaac,  must  live.  The  story  of  Jacob  is  the  unmis- 


214  The  Book  of  Genesis 

takable,  powerful,  and  convincing  drama  of  a  repentant  and 
regenerate  soul. 

The  stories  of  the  flood,  of  the  Tower  of  Babel  and  of 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah  have  taught  much  about  the  Jewish 
conception  of  sin,  repentance,  and  atonement.  But  they  have 
all  presented  this  thought  from  the  standpoint  of  God.  God 
desires  not  the  death  of  the  sinner,  but  that  he  return  and 
live,  and  He  constantly  holds  out  to  man  the  possibility  of 
repentance  and  pardon.  But  how  may  men  repent?  Is  it 
easy  or  difficult,  accomplished  in  a  moment,  or  requiring 
days  and  years  of  trial  and  purgation?  In  ancient  Israel  the 
belief  was  universal  that  repentance  was  an  easy  thing,  and 
a  matter  of  ritual  alone.  Let  one  but  offer  a  sacrifice,  a  sin- 
offering,  and  the  Deity  would  be  immediately  placated.  Or, 
if  not  immediately,  then  let  him  continue  to  offer  sin-offer- 
ings in  sufficient  measure,  and  to  pour  out  prayers,  and 
acknowledge  his  iniquity  ceaselessly,  and  in  the  end  the 
Deity  must  surely  be  appeased. 

It  was  the  prophet  Hosea  who,  about  735  B.  C.,  first 
taught  the  truth,  till  then  unheard  in  all  the  earth,  that  re- 
pentance is  no  easy  nor  speedy  thing.  It  requires  a  long 
and  bitter  period  of  trial  and  purification  and  constant  test- 
ing, until  the  dross  of  evil  inclination  be  purged  from  the 
soul,  and  we  can  return  to  God,  not  merely  with  words  of 
repentance  on  our  lips,  but  with  sincere,  humble,  and  contrite 
/  hearts.  Repentance  is  not  a  matter  of  mere,  mechanical 
prayer  and  sin-offering,  but  of  purification  of  character, 
motive,  and  deed,  a  remaking  of  the  old,  sinful  self  into  a 
new  being,  whether  that  old  self  be  an  individual  man  or  a 
whole  people.  Nor  does  this  true  repentance  mean  momen- 
tary righteousness  and  service  of  God,  which  permits  of 
later  relapse  into  the  old,  evil  habits  and  practices.  Half- 
righteousness  and  partial  purification  are  but  futile  shams. 
True  repentance  must  reach  to  the  very  depths  of  the  soul, 
and  purge  and  purify  of  every  inclination  to  evil.  Thus 


The  Unity  of  the  Jacob  Story  215 

Hosea  contrasts  the  old,  popular,  false  idea  of  ritual  re- 
pentance with  the  true  repentance  and  spiritual  regeneration, 
which  he  was  the  first  to  proclaim.  He  pictures  the  people 
as  saying  in  their  shortsightedness, 

Come,  and  let  us  return  unto  the  Lord ; 

P'or  He  hath  torn,  and  He  will  heal  us, 

He  hath  smitten,  and  He  will  bind  us  up. 

After  two  days  will  He  revive  us, 

On  the  third   day  He  will  raise  us  up,  that  we  may  live  in   His 

presence. 

And  let  us   know,   eagerly  strive  to  know  the  Lord, 
His  going  forth  is  sure  as  the  morning; 
And   He  shall  come  unto  us   as  the  rain, 
As  the  latter  rain  that  watereth  the  earth. 

And  to  all  this  sham,  artificial  repentance  the  prophet  rep- 
resents God  as  answering  with  infinite  longing  and  pathos, 

O  Ephraim,  what  shall  I  do  unto  thee? 

0  Judah,   what   shall   I   do   unto   thee? 
For  your  goodness   is  as   a  morning  cloud, 
And  as  the  dew  that  early  passeth   away. 
Therefore  have  I  hewed  them  by  the  prophets, 

1  have  slain  them  by  the  words  of  My  mouth ; 
And  thy  judgment  goeth  forth  as  the  light. 
For  I  desire  mercy,  and  not  sacrifice, 

And  the  knowledge  of  God  rather  than  burnt-offerings.      (Hosea 
VI,  1-6.) 

Even  more  drastically  the  prophet  Micah,  a  generation  or  so 
later,  proclaimed  in  the  southern  kingdom, 

Wherewith  shall  I  come  before  the  Lord, 

And    bow    myself    before   God    on   high? 

Shall    I    come   before    Him    with   burnt-offerings, 

With  calves  of  a  year  old? 

Will  the  Lord  be  pleased  with  thousands  of  rams, 

With  ten  thousands  of  rivers  of  oil? 

Shall   I   give  my   fiirst-born    for   my  transgression, 

The  fruit  of  my  body  for  the  sin  of  my  soul? 


216  The  Book  of  Genesis 

It  hath  been  told  thee,  O  man,  what  is  good, 
And  what  the^Lord  doth  require  of  thee: 

Only  to   do  justly,  and  to  love  mercy,  and  to  walk  humbly  with 
thy   God.      (Micah   VI,    6-8.) 

Just  this  conception  of  repentance  the  Jacob  story  illus- 
trates concretely,  dramatically,  and  convincingly.  Repentance 
is  no  easy  thing-  to  be  won  in  a  day.  Twenty  years  of  bitter 
trial  and  suffering  and  purgation  in  a  foreign  land  are  not 
too  much.  Nor  can  a  half-won  repentance,  even  though  it 
endure  for  fourteen  years,  when  followed  by  a  relapse  into 
former  evil  habits,  suffice.  The  purification  must  be  com- 
plete and  permanent.  But  with  him  who  would  truly  repent, 
God  is  ever  present,  strengthening  and  helping  him  to  over- 
come and  to  conquer  in  the  struggle  through  the  long,  dark 
night  with  the  evil  power  which  seeks  his  destruction.  And 
at  last,  with  the  dawn  of  the  new  day,  which  ushers  in  the 
new  life  of  righteousness,  he  must  emerge  a  regenerate  man, 
no  longer  Jacob,  "the  Deceiver",  but  Israel,  "the  Champion 
of  God",  strong  in  the  knowledge  of  God  which  has  come 
to  him,  and  ready  and  eager  to  do  God's  service.  That  is 
the  true  repentance,  which  the  Jacob  story  illustrates  so 
forcibly.  In  this  way  alone  may  repentance  be  worked. 

There  can  be  no  further  question  that  this  is  the  central 
theme  of  the  story  in  its  present  form.  Its  compilers  must 
have  been  followers  of  the  prophetic  party  who  worked  in 
the  spirit  of  Hosea,  and  sought  in  their  own  way  to  illustrate 
his  message  concretely,  and  to  enforce  it  practically.  They 
must  have  lived  somewhat  later  than  Hosea,  and  in  all  like- 
lihood in  the  southern  kingdom  of  Judah,  since  the  northern 
kingdom  of  Israel  was  overthrown  by  the  Assyrians  in  722 
B.  C.,  shortly  after  Hosea's  time.  The  southern  kingdom 
had  become  the  spiritual  and  cultural  heir  of  its  more  ad- 
vanced sister  kingdom.  Many,  though  undoubtedly  not  all, 
of  the  literary  treasures  of  the  north  had  come  into  the  pos- 
session of  the  south.  A  group  of  northern  Jacob  stones 


The  Unity  of  the.  Jacob  Story  217 

came  in  time  to  be  fused  with  a  number  of  similar  stories 
about  the  same  patriarch  current  in  the  south,  and  these  were 
later  recast  by  these  prophetic  compilers  into  our  present 
Jacob  story.  It  is  interesting  to  note  in  this  connection  that 
Hosea  himself  refers  to  various  traditional  episodes  in  the 
life  of  Jacob,  and  denounces  the  patriarch  for  his  deceitful 
nature  and  his  wrongful  treatment  of  his  brother  (Hosea 
XII,  4,  5  and  13).  Of  course  to  the  prophet  Jacob  sym- 
bolized the  whole  nation  Israel. 

And  these  compilers  had  still  more  in  mind.  In  their 
hands  not  alone  the  Jacob  story  became  a  unit,  nor  also  the 
creation-flood  and  Abraham  cycles,  and  the  Joseph  story,  but, 
in  a  very  positive  sense,  the  entire  Book  of  Genesis  and 
even  the  entire  Torah.  Their  ultimate  aim  was  to  show 
how  Israel  was  chosen  by  God  as  His  servant,  was  given  the 
Law,  and  was  disciplined  and  prepared  for  his  mission  as 
the  herald  of  this  Law  and  of  God's  truth  unto  mankind. 
They  had  told  how  God  had  called  Abraham  and  had  bidden 
him  become  a  blessing  unto  all  the  families  of  the  earth. 
They  had  told,  too,  that  Isaac  had  received  the  birthright 
from  Abraham.  Now  they  told  that  the  birthright  de- 
scended in  turn  to  Jacob.  True  he  acquired  it  by  taking 
base  advantage  of  his  brother's  need  and  weakness  of  char- 
acter. But  as  the  Bible  so  carefully  emphasizes,  Esau  de- 
spised the  birthright ;  it  implies  thereby  that  Jacob  eagerly 
desired  it.  By  thus  despising  the  birthright  and  by  his  weak 
and  passionate  nature,  Esau  had  proved  his  unworthiness  of 
the  birthright.  And  although  Jacob  was  far  from  perfect, 
none  the  less  the  implication  is  that  he  was  more  worthy  of 
this  birthright  than  was  Esau.  What  was  this  birthright,  as 
these  compilers  conceived  it? 

It  was  not  merely  the  right  to  a  double  portion  of  their 
father's  estate,  the  usual  privileges  of  the  firstborn.  The 
Bible  nowhere  states  that  Jacob  received  this,  but  implies 
that  he  acquired  all  his  wealth  during  his  sojourn  with 


218  The  Book  of  Genesis 

Laban.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Bible  states  that  Esau,  too, 
had  become  wealthy  at  home,  as  if  he  had  had  the  enjoyment 
of  his  father's  property.  No,  the  birthright  was  something 
other  than  this,  something  which  the  materialist  and  sensu- 
alist Esau  despised.  To  these  compilers,  writing  in  the  pro- 
phetic spirit  from  the  standpoint  of  Israel  as  God's  chosen 
people,  the  birthright  could  have  meant  nothing  other  than 
the  mission  of  Abraham,  the  right  to  become  God's  servant 
and  messenger  after  Abraham  and  Isaac.  It  was  this  which 
Esau  despised  and  which  Jacob,  eagerly  desired.  And  of 
this  Jacob's  regeneration,  these  compilers  would  have  us 
understand,  made  him  worthy.  He  was  to  be  transformed 
from  Jacob,  "the  Deceiver",  into  Israel,  "the  Champion  of 
God",  in  order  that  he  might  truly  contend  with  evil  gods 
and  with  men,  and  triumph  over  them  in  God's  name  and 
for  God's  cause.  All  this  these  compilers  sought  to  teach, 
and  they  adapted  the  old,  loosely  connected  Jacob  traditions 
and  legends  to  their  purpose.  How  well  they  succeeded  is 
best  evidenced  by  the  dramatic  unity,  power  and  conviction 
of  the  story  itself. 

However,  with  all  their  artistic  and  dramatic  powers  and 
definite  purpose,  certain  difficulties  confronted  them  which 
could  not  be  fully  overcome.  To  them  Jacob,  Esau,  and 
Laban  were  types,  quite  as  much  as  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Ishmael.  To  the  prophet  Hosea,  Jacob  had  been  less  a 
single,  historical,  or  even  traditional,  individual  than  the 
type  of  all  Israel.  Time  and  again  Hosea  denounced  Israel 
for  its  sins  under  the  name  Jacob.  In  the  minds  of  these 
compilers,  too,  Jacob  stood  for  Israel,  but  not  as  with  Hosea, 
only  as  a  deceitful  people,  faithless  to  its  God,  but  as  the 
future  servant  of  the  Lord,  who  was  to  be  made  fit  and 
ready  for  His  service  by  spiritual  regeneration.  Laban,  too, 
was  the  type  of  the  arch-enemy  of  the  northern  kingdom, 
Syria,  the  Aramaean  state.  The  very  name  Arami,  the 
Aramaean,  probably  suggested  to  Israelite  minds  a  connec- 


The  Unity  of  the  Jacob  Story  219 

tion  with  the  word  ramai',  "deceitful".  The  covenant  at 
Mizpeh,  as  has  been  stated,  depicts  the  relations  between 
Israel  and  Syria  during  the  reign  of  Ahab. 

On  the  other  hand,  Esau  typified  the  nation  traditionally 
descended  from  him,  Edom,  still  in  the  compilers'  days  the 
arch-enemy  of  their  own  nation  Judah.  In  their  task  they 
were  too  much  patriotic  Judeans  to  be  altogether  prophet- 
ically objective.  They  could  not  do  as  Hosea  had  done,  and 
paint  Jacob  in  hopelessly  black  colors.  They  could  not  but 
feel,  too,  a  certain  sense  of  national  gratification  in  picturing 
Jacob's  triumph  over  Esau  and  Laban,  even  while  at  the 
same  time -from  a  purely  moral  standpoint  they  condemned 
Jacob's  deception.  Even  today  deception  within  the  limits 
of  international  law  is  often  regarded  as  praiseworthy  diplo- 
macy. These  compilers  were  too  much  children  of  their 
own  times  not  to  exult  a  bit  in  the  picture  they  had  drawn 
of  Jacob  the  Israelite  outwitting  and  triumphing  over  Esau 
the  Edomite  and  Laban  the  Aramaean. 

But  this  caused  the  one  great  weakness  of  their  drama. 
For  after  Jacob's  regeneration  and  reconciliation  with  Esau, 
they  still  represented  him  as  not  trusting  Esau  implicitly,  and 
outwitting  him  once  more  by  promising  to  join  him  in  his 
home  land,  Seir,  and  then  instead  journeying  on  elsewhere. 
It  is  an  illogical  sequel  to  the  story.  We  would  expect  it  to 
conclude  with  the  perfect  reconciliation  of  the  two  brothers 
and  their  mutual  trust  in  each  other,  their  return  together 
to  their  father's  house  and  subsequent  dwelling  together  in 
peace  and  love.  Probably  the  compilers  would  have  con- 
cluded their  story  thus  had  they  been  able.  But  actual  his- 
torical conditions  made  this  impossible.  Judah  and  Edom 
did  not  dwell  together,  nor  were  their  relations  peaceful  and 
brotherly.  Instead  they  dwelt  apart  in  different  lands,  and 
were  constantly  divided  by  mutual  distrust,  hatred,  and  strife. 
And  so  the  most  these  compilers  could  do  was  to  make  Jacob 
and  Esau  meet  and  part  again  amicably.  And  even  here 


220  The  Book  of  Genesis 

national  pride  impelled  them  to  picture  Jacob  as  finally  tri- 
umphing over  Esau.  Israelite  chauvinism  whispered  to  them 
that  the  Edomite  might  not  be  trusted  too  implicitly,  and  so 
there  could  be  no  harm  in  making  Jacob  realize  this  and  be 
on  his  guard.  It  was  an  insurmountable  obstacle  for  them. 
But  we  must  admit  that  it  has  weakened  the  otherwise  well- 
nigh  perfect  drama. 

One  other  difficulty  confronted  them  and  tended  to  ren- 
der their  story  somewhat  obscure.  In  a  certain  sense  they 
were  historians;  not  objective  historians  it  is  true,  whose 
task  was  to  record  all  the  events  of  history  in  proper  se- 
quence and  proportion,  but  rather  prophetic  historians,  who 
sought  to  reinterpret  the  facts  and  traditions  of  Israel's  his- 
tory in  such  manner  as  to  illustrate  and  enforce  the  message 
of  the  great  prophets.  Nevertheless  they  had  a  certain  his- 
toric consciousness  which  bade  them  make  some  reference 
at  least  to  all  traditions  which  centered  about  the  figure  with 
which  they  were  dealing.  They  could  not  resist  the  tempta- 
tion to  introduce  certain  traditions  which  had  no  direct  con- 
nection with  the  main  story  other  than  that  they,  too,  dealt 
with  Jacob,  and  which  actually  impede  and  obscure  the  log- 
ical and  dramatic  evolution  of  plot  and  thought. 

Thus  the  Mahanaim  incident  has  no  connection  with  the 
main  story.  As  students  of  Jewish  history  and  tradition,  we 
are  grateful  for  the  reference,  and  regret  only  that  the  com- 
plete tradition  has  not  been  preserved.  But  we  must  admit 
that  the  Jacob  story  as  a  piece  of  narrative  or  dramatic 
literature  would  be  more  complete  and  perfect  without  it. 
This  is  true  also  of  the  brief  reference  to  Reuben's  incest 
with  Bilhah,  his  father's  concubine  (XXXV,  22). 

And  to  a  far  greater  degree  is  this  true  of  the  episode  of 
Jacob  at  Shechem.  The  natural  and  logical  course  of  the 
story  would  have  been  for  Jacob,  immediately  after  his  recon- 
ciliation with  Esau,  to  proceed  to  his  father's  house,  for 
which  he  had  so  eagerly  longed  and  prayed.  This  protracted 


The  Unity  of 'the  Jacob  Story  221 

sojourn  at  Shechem  is  disturbing  and  disappointing  in  the 
extreme.  On  the  one  hand  it  interrupts  the  continuity  of  the 
story,  and  delays  unnecessarily,  illogically  and  undramatically 
the  visiting  of  divine  retribution,  in  accordance  with  Jacob's 
words,  upon  Rachel,  for  having  stolen  her  father's  idols. 
And  on  the  other  hand,  it  accords  but  poorly  with  the  rest 
of  the  story.  This  told  that  Jacob  had  been  but  twenty  years 
with  Laban,  and  had  married  Leah  only  after  seven  years. 
Therefore  his  oldest  child  could  have  been  at  this  time  not 
more  than  twelve  years  of  age,  and  the  others  must  have 
been  correspondingly  younger.  Yet  the  Shechem  episode 
makes  all  the  children  of  Jacob,  including  Dinah,  the  daugh- 
ter, of  adult  age.  This  proves  that  the  Shechem  episode  was 
not  a  part  of  the  original  story,  as  arranged  by  these  com- 
pilers, but  was  inserted  later,  probably  because  of  the  impulse 
of  some  quasi-historian  to  preserve  a  Jacob  tradition  from 
oblivion. 

Facts  like  these  obscure  the  meaning  and  purpose  of  the 
main  narrative  somewhat.  But  when  they  are  stripped  away, 
the  main  Jacob  story  stands  out  clearly  and  unmistakably  as 
a  unit  of  both  narration  and  thought,  the  central  theme  of 
which  is  easily  determined.  With  this  introduction  we  are 
ready  to  consider  the  Jacob  story  in  detail, 


222  The  Book  of  Genesis 


XV 

THE  BIRTHRIGHT 
(Genesis  XXV,  27-34) 

So    Esau    despised   his    birthright.      (Genesis    XXV,    34.) 

For  I  am  become  a  father  to  Israel, 

And  Ephraim  is  My  first-born.     (Jeremiah  XXXI,  9.) 

Read  Ecclesiastes,  VII,  1,  8,  9,  11,  12. 

The  episode  of  'the  birthright  constitutes  the  opening  act 
in  the  Jacob  drama.  It  introduces  the  two  principal  char- 
acters, and  establishes  their  relations  with  each  other.  They 
are  twin  brothers,  presumably  starting  in  life  with  similar, 
and  almost  equal  endowments.  Yet  how  different  were  their 
lives  to  be.  The  rabbis  said  that  Jacob  and  Esau  were  like 
the  myrtle  and  the  thornbush  respectively,  which  at  first  re- 
semble each  other  closely.  But  after  they  are  fully  grown 
the  thorn-bush  puts  forth  only  destructive  and  poisonous 
thorns,  while  the  myrtle  sends  its  fragrance  far  and  wide. 

As  twin  brothers  their  relations  should  have  been  par- 
ticularly intimate  and  loving.  But  already  at  birth  they  had 
striven  together,  and  this  but  augured  the  contention  of  later 
years.  Now,  when  the  story  opens,  they  have  already  grown 
far  apart,  and  have  developed  characters  and  habits  diamet- 
rically opposed  to  each  other.  "Esau  was  a  cunning  hunter, 
a  man  of  the  field;  and  Jacob  was  a  quiet  man,  dwelling  in 
tents".  Esau  the  hunter  and  Jacob  the  shepherd,  two  con- 
trasted types.  Esau  was  the  man  of  the  chase;  of  quick, 
unpremeditated,  improvident  action ;  seeking  speedy  returns 
from  everything,  and  ready  to  stake  all  life's  prospects  upon 


The  Birthright  223 

the  uncertain  chances  of  the  chase;  eager  to  satisfy  the 
appetites  of  the  moment,  regardless  of  the  cost;  with  no  eye 
to  the  future  and  no  power  to  govern  his  inclinations  or 
restrain  his  passion ;  rash,  impetuous,  vengeful,  possibly  even 
cruel,  or  at  least  pitiless,  as  the  pursuit  of  the  chase  was  apt 
to  make  him ;  and  above  all  else,  unspiritual,  materialistic, 
with  no  appreciation  of  the  privilege  of  the  birthright,  but 
despising  it  because  it  could  not  fill  his  belly  when  hungry, 
and  only  laid  obligations  upon  him. 

And  Jacob  was  the  man  of  the  tents,  quiet  and  home- 
abiding,  and  therefore  beloved  of  his  mother;  able  to  control 
his  appetites  and  to  govern  his  passions  in  order  to  secure 
a  desired  end;  with  a  keen  eye  to  the  future,  carefully  weigh- 
ing all  chances,  and  deliberate  and  patient  in  the  attainment 
of  ambitions;  all  admirable  qualities  indeed,  provided  they 
be  applied  to  right  aims  and  uses,  and  destining  their  pos- 
sessor for  great  things  either  in  good  or  evil,  whichever  he 
might  choose.  Unfortunately  at  this  moment  Jacob  applied 
these  powers  to  base  uses.  He  combined  them  with  cold, 
calculating  selfishness,  cunning,  and  deceit,  pitiless  disregard 
for  the  rights  and  sufferings  of  others,  and  ignoble  willing- 
ness to  take  advantage  of  their  weakness,  need,  and  indulgent 
love,  in  order  to  secure  his  own  selfish  desires. 

But  one  quality  Jacob  did  possess,  at  present  undeveloped, 
yet  capable  under  proper  unfolding  and  guidance  of  becom- 
ing productive  of  great  good.  "Esau  despised  his  birthright", 
the  Bible  says ;  and  it  implies  thereby,  and  develops  this 
thought  in  the  story  itself,  that  Jacob  eagerly  desired  it. 
This  birthright  was,  as  we  have  intimated,  not  merely  the 
usual  privilege  of  the  firstborn,  of  a  double  portion  of  the 
paternal  estate,  and  the  right  to  act  as  the  clan  leader  and 
priest,  but  rather  the  spiritual  heritage  of  being  the  servant 
and  messenger  of  God,  and  of  bringing  blessing  unto  all 
the  families  of  the  earth.  For  this  God  had  called  Abraham. 
And  the  Bible  told  that  Abraham  had  purposely  sent  Ishmael 


224  The  Book  of  Genesis 


,-ui(l  his  later  children  away,  after  providing  for  them  prop- 
erly, in  order  that  they  might  not  inherit  along  with  Isaac 
(XXI,  lOff.;  XXV,  5f.).  In  the  case  of  Ishmael  this  meant, 
of  course,  that  the  right  of  firstborn  fell  to  Isaac.  Now 
Esau  and  Jacob  must  divide  their  father's  estate,  and  the 
birthright  with  it.  There  was  but  a  few  moments'  difference 
in  their  ages ;  yet  Esau  was  nominally  the  elder,  and  to  him 
therefore  the  birthright  formally  belonged. 

But  Esau  despised  his  birthright.  He  had  no  appreciation 
of  spiritual  things,  no  desire  to  bring  blessing  unto  all  the 
families  of  the  earth,  and  no  ambition  to  become  a  bene- 
factor of  the  human  race.  Perhaps  he  might  have  been  will- 
ing to  accept  his  birthright,  had  it  been  an  easy  thing,  and 
laid  no  burden  upon  him.  But  it  was  no  easy  thing;  it 
meant  endless  toil  and  sacrifice,  and  bearing  the  burdens  of 
others,  and  infinite  love  for  fellowmen.  And  of  these  Esau 
was  incapable.  And  "so  Esau  despised  his  birthright",  but 
Jacob  eagerly  desired  it. 

In  all  likelihood  Jacob,  too,  had  at  this  moment  no  full 
appreciation  of  the  true  nature  of  the  birthright  and  of  the 
obligations  it  entailed.  True,  it  meant  service,  sacrifice,  and 
blessing  for  others,  but  it  also  meant  dignity,  honor,  leader- 
ship, and  privilege  for  himself,  a  worthy  reward  indeed. 
Probably  Jacob  thought  at  first  rather  of  this  reward  than 
of  the  service  he  might  render.  It  is  a  common  trait  of  self- 
centered  and  ambitious  youth.  Nor  is  there  anything  dis- 
creditable in  this ;  rightly  disciplined  and  directed,  the  ambi- 
tion for  leadership  may  become  an  unqualified  blessing.  It 
was  not  that  Jacob's  desires  and  ambitions  were  altogether 
wrong,  but  rather  that  the  means  he  chose  to  gain  his  ends, 
were  ignoble  and  blameworthy.  The  story  of  Jacob  is  the 
best  proof  of  the  truth  that  the  end  never  justifies  the  means. 
All  Jacob's  sufferings,  and  those  he  brought  upon  others, 
were  but  the  outcome  of  the  means  he  employed  to  gain  his 
ends.  Ultimately  what  he  had  gained  was  established  as  his. 


The  Birthright  225 

But  before  he  could  become  worthy  of  the  birthright,  he  had 
first  to  be  purified  of  the  base  impulses  which  prompted  him 
to  employ  such  ignoble  means. 

The  compilers  of  the  Jacob  story  have  done  their  work 
well,  and  have  displayed  artistic  powers  of  the  highest  order. 
With  a  few  masterful  strokes  they  have  depicted  the  two 
characters  most  effectively.  The  Jacob  story  does  not  stand 
by  itself.  It  is  the  continuation  of  the  Abraham  and  Isaac 
stories.  The  birthright  is  the  connecting  link.  God's  word 
to  Abraham  and  his  descendants  must  be  fulfilled.  The 
birthright  of  Abraham  and  Isaac  must  descend  to  that  son 
who  is  the  better  fitted  for  it.  The  compilers  of  the  Jacob 
story  have  drawn  the  two  characters  with  this  one  thought 
in  mind.  Esau's  character  is  simple,  and  stamped  him  as 
unfit  and  hopeless  for  the  acceptance  and  fulfillment  of  the 
obligations  of  the  birthright.  He  is  a  materialist  through 
and  through,  without  the  slightest  possibility  of  such  change 
of  character  as  might  fit  him  for  the  birthright. 

On  the  other  hand,  Jacob's  character  is  complex.  Two 
forces  are  already  struggling  within  him  for  the  mastery. 
If  the  evil,  selfish,  deceitful  nature  prevail,  Jacob  is  destined 
by  his  very  powers  to  become  a  curse  to  mankind.  But  if 
the  more  spiritual  side  of  his  nature,  his  ambition  for  leader- 
ship, power,  and  honor,  can  be  purified  of  its  selfishness,  and 
can  be  applied  to  proper  ends,  he  is  destined  to  become  a 
blessing  unto  mankind,  and  truly  worthy  of  the  birthright 
of  his  fathers.  At  the  present  moment  the  evil  nature  is  in 
the  ascendancy,  and  the  prospects  of  his  regeneration  seem 
dark  and  hopeless.  The  episode  of  the  birthright,  and  its 
sequel,  the  episode  of  the  father's  blessing,  constitute  a  most 
effective  and  dramatic  introduction  to  the  whole  story  of 
Jacob's  purification  and  preparation  for  the  real  birthright. 

A  word  of  caution  here.  In-  presenting  the  story  of  Jacob  care 
should  be  taken  not  to  excuse  nor  seek  to  justify  Jacob's  conduct. 
As  Jews,  traditional  descendants  of  the  patriarchs,  and  also  because 


226  The  Book  of  Genesis 

lie  must  later  appear  as  the  hero  of  the  drama,  our  sympathies  are 
with  him,  and  we  feel  an  almost  irresistihle  impulse  to  palliate  his 
offense  in  whatever  way  we  can.  Many  text-books  and  many  teachers 
do  this,  but  it  is  a  serious  mistake.  Certainly  the  compilers  depicted 
Jacob  as  they  did  for  very  definite  reasons.  And  to  present  him 
otherwise  is  not  only  to  take  unwarranted  liberties,  but  also  to  miss 
the  point  of  the  story  entirely.  It  might  tend  to  encourage  the 
children  to  excuse  their  own  selfish  and  wicked  conduct  in  the  most 
sophistic  ways.  However,  the  teacher  must  be  careful  not  to  overdo 
the  picture  and  paint  Jacob  too  black.  His  virtues  and  the  possibilities 
of  his  character  should  also  be  properly  dw'elt  upon.  A  timely  hint 
may  also  be  thrown  out  that  this  is  only  our  first  acquaintance  with 
Jacob,  and  that  later  he  changed  completely.  It  may  also  be  sug- 
gested that  he  had  to  pay  dearly  for  his  sin  of  selfishness  and  lack 
of  brotherly  feeling.  Of  this  the  children  will  hear  later.  It  will 
serve  to  whet  their  curiosity  and  interest. 

.  It  might  be  asked,  why  did  not  God  make  Esau  a  good 
and  noble  man  from  the  very  beginning,  or  at  least  make 
Jacob  so?  The  rabbis  anticipated  this  question.  It  might 
in  fact  be  answered  by  the  equally  appropriate  question, 
why  did  not  God  create  men  so  that  they  would  always  do 
right  and  enjoy  happiness?  God  has,  we  know,  purposely 
created  man  as  he  is,  in  order  that  he  may  be  forced  to 
strive  to  become  perfect,  and  not  be  perfect  unavoidably, 
and  without  ambition  or  effort  on  his  part.  Perfection  must 
be  worked  for  and  striven  for.  And  still,  even  if  men  are 
not  perfect,  God  does  not  reject  them  nor  refuse  to  use  them 
for  His  purposes.  If  we  have  a  broken  tool,  yet  need  it 
for  our  work,  we  first  mend  it  and  then  use  it.  It  was  so 
with  Jacob.  He  was  the  very  tool  which  God  selected,  to 
carry  on  the  mission  of  service  for  which  He  had  called 
Abraham.  And  just  because  he  was  not  perfect,  we  shall 
see  that  God  mended  him  first, .  or  rather  helped  him  to 
mend  himself,  and  then  at  last,  when  he  was  ready  and  fit, 
used  him  for  His  purpose  of  blessing. 

One  thought   in   particular  this   story   of   Jacob   suggests. 
The  Book  of  Ecclesiastes  says: 


The  Birthright  227 

Better  is  the  end  of  a  thing  than  the  beginning  thereof. 

Far  too  often  we  pride  ourselves  on  vain  things  and  boast 
of  trivial  achievements.  We  are  prone  to  judge  by  begin- 
nings and  promises  rather  than  by  ends  and  results.  We 
parade  the  accomplishments  of  children  and  prophesy  great 
things  for  them ;  and  it  often  happens  in  consequence  that 
the  child's  head  is  turned,  and  his  powers  are  checked  in 
development  by  injudicious  praise.  We  make  much  of  early 
success,  and  fail  to  realize  that  it  is  only  a  part  of  our  train- 
ing for  greater  things,  when  our  powers  shall  have  reached 
their  full  growth.  We  are  ever  ready  to  measure  our 
strength  and  our  achievements  with  those  of  our  superiors 
in  experience  and  wisdom.  And  we  loudly  proclaim  that  this 
is  the  age  of  the  young  man,  and  do  not  see  that  thereby 
we  seal  our  own  death  warrant,  and  condemn  ourselves  to 
a  long  and  inglorious  middle  and  old  age  of  decreasing  use- 
fulness and  wisdom,  and  increasing  burden  upon  society. 

The  story  of  Jacob  should  indeed  give  us  pause.  Were 
we  to  judge  the  patriarch  by  these  first  two  incidents  of 
his  life,  or  even  by  some  which  follow,  we  should  condemn 
him  unqualifiedly  as  a  villain  and  a  scourge  to  society.  But 
all  life  is  not  measured  by  the  years  of  childhood  and  youth 
alone,  nor  is  it  to  be  judged  only  by  early  inclinations  and 
promises.  A  life's  true  worth  can  not  be  ascertained  until 
its  complete  course  is  run,  and  its  full  work  is  done,  or  .left 
undone.  Then  alone  may  we  say,  "This  life  was  well  lived, 
and  this  was  not ;  this  one  brought  blessing  to  mankind,  and 
this  one  was  a  burden  and  a  curse.  The  world  is  better 
for  this  one's  having  lived,-  and  worse  for  that".  And  even 
though  we  start  wrong,  as  Jacob,  and  the  evil  nature,  the 
voice  of  earth  within  us,  it  seems,  must  triumph,  none  the 
less  it  is  possible,  with  wisdom,  courage,  and  strength  of 
will,  and  with  God's  help,  to  purge  ourselves  of  the  evil 
inclination,  and  become  true  servants  of  the  Lord,  worthy 


228  The  Book  of  Genesis 

of    the    birthright    of    service    and    blessing    which    is    ours. 
Wisely,  therefore,  does  the  Bible  say : 

A  good  name  is  better  than  precious  oil ; 

And  the  day  of  death  than  the  day  of  one's  birth. 

The  rabbis  likened  life  to  ships  which  sail  the  troubled 
sea.  One  sails  forth  from  the  harbor  upon  a  long  and  haz- 
ardous voyage,  and  every  one  is  anxious,  for  they  know 
not  what  the  outcome  will  be,  nor  even  whether  the  ship 
will  ever  return.  And  another  ship  sails  slowly  and 
quietly  into  port,  weatherbeaten  and  worn,  yet  stately  withal ; 
and  every  one  rejoices,  for  the  voyage  is  done,  and  the  ship 
comes  home  laden  with  precious  stores.  Truly 

Better  is  the  end  of  a  thing  than  the  beginning  thereof. 

So  it  was  with  the  life  of  our  father  Jacob. 

One  thing  above  all  must  be  clearly  understood,  that  just 
as  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Ishmael,  so  Jacob  arid  Esau,  too, 
are  types.  Jacob  is  the  type  of  Israel  and  Esau  of  Edom. 
Not  that  the  compilers  of  the  story  meant  to  imply  that  all 
the  evil  qualities  which  they  ascribed  to  Jacob  in  the  be- 
ginning were  characteristic  of  Israel.  They  had  to  depict 
Jacob  thus  in  order  to  bring  out  their  thought  of  the  nature 
and  power  of  repentance  and  spiritual  regeneration.  But 
they  meant  to  imply  that  in  their  contrasted  qualities  Esau 
and  Jacob  were  types,  Esau,  the  Edomite,  the  violent  hunter, 
the  materialist  and  sensualist,  who  despised  his  birthright 
and  thought  only  of  filling  his  belly ;  and  Jacob,  the  Israelite, 
the  "quiet  man,  dwelling  in  tents",  who  desired  the  birth- 
right and  was  ready  to  restrain  his  passions  and  make  all 
necessary  sacrifices  to  obtain  and  keep  it.  The  virtues  at- 
tributed to  Jacob  here  are  really  qualities  which  Israel  has 
always  possessed  and  cherished,  though  in  a  loftier  way  and 
for  a  nobler  purpose.  Israel,  too,  has  aspired  to  spiritual 
dignity,  honor,  and  leadership.  Israel,  too,  has  ever  pre- 


The  Birthright  229 

f erred  the  quiet  life  of  the  home  to  the  wild  life  of  the 
chase,  camp,  or  battlefield.  Israel,  too/  has  ever,  cared  for 
the  inmates  of  its  homes,  for  parents,  wives,  and  children, 
provided  for  their  comfort  and  happiness,  and  ministered  to 
their  needs  and  sufferings.  Israel,  too,  has  at  times  had 
evil  inclinations,  and  now  and  then  has  employed  its  powers 
for  selfish  ends.  But  under  God's  guidance,  Israel  has 
been  purified,  generally  through  bitter  suffering  and  punish- 
ment, and  has  come  to  appreciate  its  real  purpose  in  life 
and  the  true  meaning  of  its  spiritual  birthright.  And  so 
God  has,  we  believe,  taken  Israel  to  be  His  people,  and  con- 
firmed -the  birthright  unto  him,  and  spoken  of  him  lovingly, 
"Israel  is  My  son,  My  first-born"  (Exodus  IV,  22)  ;  and 
again, 

For  I  am  become  a  father  to  Israel, 
And  Ephraim  is  My  first-born. 

Israel  is  God's  firstborn  of  the  spirit.  And  to  us,  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel,  have  descended  not  only  the  privileges  of  the 
birthright  of  the  firstborn,  but  also  its  duties  and  responsi- 
bilities, to  be  a  blessing  unto  all  mankind,  likewise  God's 
children  and  our  brothers. 

In  rabbinical  tradition  Esau  and  Edom  came  to  symbolize 
Rome,  the  colossal,  temporal,  material  power,  which  sought 
to  crush  nations,  which  overran  the  earth  with  warfare  and 
bloodshed,  and  found  its  highest  pleasure  in  murderous 
gladiatorial  combats.  And  Jacob  continued  to  represent 
Israel;  the  spiritual  people,  the  servant  of  the  Lord,  whose 
mission  was  to  bind  up  the  bleeding  wounds  of  cruelty  and 
oppression,  and  to  bring  law  and  order,  peace  and  brother- 
hood, and  the  knowledge  of  God  unto  all  mankind.  Rome 
lias  perished;  its  temples  and  palaces  are  heaps  of  buried 
ruins ;  and  the  order  of  things  and  the  standards  of  life  and 
conduct,  both  individual  and  national,  which  it  championed, 
are  rapidly  passing.  Israel  lives  on ;  its  law  is  beginning  to 


230  The  Book  of  Genesis 

reign  supreme  in  the  hearts  and  lives  of  men;  and  its  dream 
of  universal  peace  and  brotherhood  and  love,  is  fast  becom- 
ing a  living  reality.  Though  conquered  by  Rome  physically, 
Israel  has  triumphed  over  Rome  spiritually.  And  in  its 
history  the  words  of  the  Bible  are  again  verified, 

Better  is  the  end  of  a  thing  than  the  beginning  thereof; 
And   the  patient   in   spirit   is   better  than  the  proud  in  spirit. 

NOTES 

XXV,  22f.  This  ancient  tradition  was  employed  by  the  compilers 
of  the  Jacob  story  to  show  that  the  conflict  between  the  two  brothers 
began  at,  or  even  before  their  birth.  Since  it  foreshadows  the  actual 
future  relations  of  the  brothers,  it  is  an  integral  part,  and  a  highly 
dramatic  introduction  or  prelude  to  the  Jacob  story.  Unfortunately 
its  nature  forbids  its  presentation  in  the  class-room.  This  motive  of 
the  struggles  of  twin  brothers  in  the  womb,  or  immediately  after 
birth,  is  quite  common  in  folklore  and  mythology;  cf.  for  example 
the  Greek  legend  of  Akrisios  and  Proitos,  and  the  somewhat  similar 
Roman  legend  of  Romulus  and  Remus. 

V.  22.  "She  went  to  inquire  of  the  Lord",  i.  e.  she  went  to  con- 
sult the  oracle  at  some  important  shrine.  In  ancient  Israel  the  belief 
was  general  that  the  oracle  was  one  of  the  means  by  which  the 
Deity  revealed  His  will;  cf.  Exodus  XVIII,  19;  II  Kings  I,  2.  The 
Urim  and  Tummim  were  one  form  of  the  oracle  (Exodus  XXVIII, 
30;  Leviticus  VIII,  8;  Deuteronomy  XXXIII,  8;  I  Samuel  XIV,  41 
[note  in  particular  the  fuller  Septuagint  version  of  this  chapter]  ; 
XXVIII,  6).  That  the  oracle  was  usually  consulted  through  the 
mediation  of  a  priest  is  certain,  but  beyond  this  we  know  nothing 
of  the  procedure. 

V.  23.  This  verse  contains  a  fragment  of  a  very  ancient  Hebrew 
poem,  which,  seemingly,  forecast  the  destinies  of  the  two  nations, 
Israel  and  Edom.  It  is  significant  that  already  at  the  (very  remote 
period  when  this  poem  was  composed,  Jacob  and  Esau  were  conceived 
of  as  two  nations,  rather  than  as  two  individual  men. 

V.  25.  The  tradition  that  Esau  was  covered  with  hair  already 
at  birth,  was  probably  based  upon  the  common  by-name,  Seir,  for  the 
country  of  Edom.  Seir  seems  to  be  derived  from  the  stem  sa'ar,  "to 
be  hairy",  and  therefore  to  mean  "the  hairy  one". 

Similarly  the  tradition  that  Esau  was  ruddy,  was,  in  all  likeli- 
hood, derived  from  the  by-name,  Edom.  This  was  thought  to  be 


The  Birthright  231 

related  to  the  stem  adaui,  "to  be  red".  V.  30  records  a  parallel  tradi- 
tion, that  Esau  was  given  the  by-name,  Edom,  because  he  said  to 
Jacob,  "Let  me  swallow  some  of  this  red,  red  pottage"  (adorn}. 

V.  26.  The  tradition  that  Jacob  was  born  holding  fast  to  his 
brother's  heel  offers  one  explanation  of  the  name  Jacob.  The  He- 
brew word  for  heel  is  akeb.  The  verb  akab  therefore  means  (a)  "to 
follow  on  the  heel"  (hence  Ya'akob,  "he  who  follows  on  the  (his 
brother's)  heel"),  (b)  "to  supplant"  (hence  Jacob  as  the  supplanter 
of  Esau;  cf.  XXVIII,  36),  and  (c)  "to  deceive"  (hence'  Ya'akob, 
"the  Deceiver").  Thus  the  Bible  itself  accounts  for  the  origin  of 
the  name  Jacob  by  these  three  different  and  mutually  contradictory 
traditions. 

V.  27.  "Dwelling  in  tents",  i.  e.  a  semi-nomad,  and  consequently 
a  shepherd,  just  as  Abraham  is  also  pictured  (XII,  8;  XVIII,  1). 

V.  31.  In  ancient  Israel  the  firstborn  was  thought  to  possess 
an  undue  portion  of  his  father's  nature  (cf.  XLIX,  3).  Therefore 
he  received  a  double  portion  of  his  father's  estate  (Deuteronomy 
XXI,  17).  Above  all  he  enjoyed  the  privileges  of  succeeding  his 
father  as  the  head  of  the  family  or  clan,  and  of  functioning  as  its 
priest  and  the  arbiter  of  its  life  and  policies. 

V.  32.  A  bargain  was  usually  confirmed  and  made  binding  by 
an  oath. 

V.  34.  The  rabbis  told  that  this  transaction  between  Jacob  and 
Esau  took  place  on  the  day  of  the  death  of  Abraham.  Jacob  had 
been  as  a  boy  the  favorite  companion  of  his  grandfather  during  the 
latter's  last  years,  and  was  with  him  at  the  very  moment  of  his  death. 
And  understanding  the  true  nature  of  the  boy  and  his  latent  possi- 
bilities, Abraham  had  charged  Isaac  that  the  birthright  descend  to 
him  rather  than  to  Esau.  They  told  further  that  Jacob  was  pre- 
paring this  dish  of  lentils  for  Isaac  as  a  pious  duty,  because  since 
lentils  were  thought  to  symbolize  immortality,  it  was  customary  to 
give  them  to  mourners  to  eat, 


232  The  Book  of  Genesis 


XVI 
A  FATHER'S  BLESSING 

(Genesis  XXVII) 

"Bless  me,  even  me  also,  O  my  father."     (Genesis  XXVII,  34  and 
38.) 

A  wise  son  maketh  a  glad  father ; 

But  a  foolish  son  is  the  grief  of  his  mother.      (Proverbs  X,   1.) 

Read  Psalm  XXIV,  3-5. 

The  story  of  Isaac's  blessing  carries  us  one  stage  further 
in  the  unfolding  of  the  Jacob  drama.  It  completes  the  open- 
ing picture  of  the  relations  of  the  two  brothers,  and  the 
presentation  of  the  problem  with  which  the  drama  deals. 
The  iniquitous  conduct  and  selfish  and  deceitful  nature  of 
Jacob  are  clearly  portrayed,  and  the  question  is  suggested, 
"Can  Jacob  be  purified  of  his  evil  inclination,  and  be  made 
fit  for,  and  worthy  of  the  birthright;  and  if  so,  how?"  .The 
succeeding  acts  of  the  drama  offer  the  positive  answer  to 
this  question. 

The  story  of  the  birthright  pictured  Jacob  as  a  selfish 
schemer,  ready  to  take  advantage  of  another's  weakness  and 
need,  and  to  drive  a  hard  bargain,  and  that  other  his  twin 
brother.  Yet  the  entire  transaction  was  strictly  within  the 
law,  and  Jacob  had  nominally  given  full  value  for  what  he 
had  received.  The  story  of  Isaac's  blessing  reveals  the  full 
possibilities  of  Jacob's  evil  nature.  He  is  guilty  of  a  sin 
greater  far  than  that  of  selfishness  and  unbrotherliness.  He 
is  ready  to  deceive  a  blind,  helpless,  trusting  father,  to  rob 
an  innocent  brother  of  that  which  is  dearest  to  him  in  life, 


A  Fathers  Blessing  233 

while  the  latter  is  absent  upon  a  mission  of  mercy  and  love, 
and  to  take  selfish  and  base  advantage  of  a  mother's  love, 
and  allow  a  curse,  bringing  misfortune  and  sorrow,  to  come 
upon  her,  provided  only  that  he  himself  escape  unharmed. 
Lower  than  this  a  man  can  hardly  sink. 

Yet  this  merely  shows  how  great  and  true  his  final  re- 
pentance must  have  been,  that  from  such  depths  of  iniquity 
he  could  rise  to  such  heights  of  manhood.  It  shows,  too, 
the  greatness  and  eternity  of  God's  love,  that  He  can  pardon 
one  who  had  sinned  as  Jacob  had,  and  ever  desires  the  return 
of  even  the  vilest  sinner,  rather  than  to  punish  him  for  his 
sin.  It  bids  us  realize  that  in  God's  sight  no  one  can  ever 
be  so  bad,  as  to  be  beyond  hope  of  betterment;  even  the 
basest  may  still  repent  and  return  to  God,  and  become  an 
instrument  for  good.  It  bids  us  realize,  too,  that  we  are  all 
brothers,  even  of  the  lowest  and  most  wicked,  and  that  it 
is  our  duty  ever  to  be  ready  to  forgive,  like  God,  and  ever 
to  help  our  brothers  live  noble,  righteous,  and  useful  lives. 

In  ancient  times  the  belief  existed,  and  in  a  way  still 
exists  today,  that  a  solemn  word  of  blessing,  spoken  at  sacred 
moments,  particularly  just  before  death,  by  someone  close 
and  beloved,  was  more  than  a  mere  wish.  It  was  thought 
that  at  such  times  a  person  stood  in  intimate  communion 
with  God.  Therefore  words  of  blessing  possessed  a  mys- 
terious power,  which  made  them  certain  of  fulfillment. 
Accordingly  it  was  customary  for  a  man,  just  before  death, 
to  bestow  his  blessing  upon  his  children,  and  particularly 
upon  his  firstborn  son.  In  fact,  the  blessing  of  the  dying 
father  was  often  regarded  as  the  actual  right  of  the  first- 
born. So  it  was  in  this  case. 

Just  as  Jacob  desired  the  birthright,  so  also  he  coveted 
Isaac's  dying  blessing.  The  birthright  he  had  obtained 
through  selfishness  and  hard  bargaining.  The  blessing  be- 
came his  through  falsehood  and  theft.  True,  Rebekah 
helped  Jacob,  and  even  suggested  the  plan,  by  which  he 


234  The  Book  of  Genesis 

might  obtain  the  blessing.  But  this  does  not  justify  nor 
mitigate  Jacob's  offense.  Besides,  Rebekah  was  blinded  by 
her  passionate  love  for  Jacob.  What  she  did,  was  not  done 
for  herself  at  all.  She  was  even  willing  that  the  curse 
should  come  upon  her,  if  need  be,  in  order  that  Jacob  might 
have  the  blessing.  Her  action  was  wrong  in  every  way. 
But  while  we  can  not  excuse  Rebekah's  conduct,  we  can  still 
sympathize  with  her  to  an  extent.  We  shall  see,  too,  how 
grievously  she  had  to  pay  for  her  share  in  this  sin. 

And  just  as  Rebekah  was  made  to  sorrow  because  of  her 
love  for  Jacob,  so,  the  rabbis  told,  Isaac  also  suffered  be- 
cause of  his  love  for  Esau.  Probably  in  order  to  justify 
Jacob  somewhat,  they  told,  what  the  Bible  nowhere  implies 
directly,  that  Esau  was  very  wicked.  And  God  had  made 
Isaac  blind  as  a  blessing,  that  he  might  not  see  how  wicked 
Esau  was.  Probably  Isaac  did  not  count  it  a  blessing.  We 
do  not  always  know  what  is  really  for  our  good,  or  that 
blessing  may  come  even  with  grief  and  pain.  Could  Isaac 
have  seen  all  the  evil  which  Esau  wrought,  he  would  have 
grieved  even  more  than  he  did  because  of  his  blindness.  So, 
frequently,  loving  parents  must  suffer  because  of  the  evil 
deeds  of  their  children.  Therefore  the  Bible  says  truly, 

A   wise   son   maketh   a   glad    father; 

But  a  foolish  son  is  the  grief  of  his  mother. 

Esau's  conduct  contrasts  most  effectively  and  dramatically 
with  Jacob's.  Whereas  the  latter  was  willing  that  a  curse 
befall  his  mother,  just  so  that  he  secure  the  blessing,  Esau 
was  engaged  upon  a  task  of  affection  and  kindness  for  his 
blind  father.  His  love  for  his  father  was  sincere  and  un- 
failing. Even  though  his  hatred  of  Jacob  was  all-compelling, 
none  the  less  it  did  not  equal  his  love  for  his  father.  For 
once  this  enabled  him  to  control  his  passion,  and  prompted 
him  to  defer  his  vengeance  upon  his  brother  until  after 
Isaac's  death,  in  order  that  the  latter  might  be  spared  the 


A  Fathers  Blessing  235 

grief  and  suffering  which  the  knowledge  of  the  strife  of  his 
two  sons  would  otherwise  cause.  The  dramatic  pathos  of 
Esau's  cry,  when  he  returns  from  the  chase,  and  the  quiet 
satisfaction  of  having  found  the  food  his  father  loves,  and 
being  able  to  satisfy  the  old  man's  craving,  and  to  receive 
his  blessing  is  changed  to  dismay  when  he  learns  that  his 
brother  has  treacherously  supplanted  him,  "Hast  thou  but 
one  blessing,  my  father?  bless  me,  even  me  also,  O  my 
father",  can  not  escape  even  the  most  obtuse  reader.  Our 
sympathy,  for  the  moment  at  least,  is  with  Esau,  and  not 
with  Jacob. 

As  has  been  said,  the  rabbis  purposely  represented  Esau 
in  the  worst  possible  light,  as  guilty  of  every  conceivable 
crime,  partly  to  justify  Jacob,  and  partly  because  to  them 
Esau  typified  the  dread,  oppressive  power  of  hated  Rome. 
Nevertheless  they  were  compelled  to  show  him  a  certain 
measure  of  justice.  And  so,  they  told  that  although  Esau 
broke  every  other  commandment,  this  one,  "Honor  thy 
father",  he  kept  most  piously.  He  was  ever  kind  and  con- 
siderate of  Isaac,  and  thought  chiefly  of  his  comfort  and 
happiness.  He  brought  him  always  the  best  portions  of  the 
animals  which  he  killed  in  hunting,  and  prepared  them  al- 
ways just  as  he  knew  his  father  liked  them  best.  Moreover, 
the  rabbis  told  that  the  reason  why  Rebekah  gave  Jacob 
Esau's  garments  to  wear,  was  not  merely  to  help  deceive 
Isaac,  but  because  Esau  was  accustomed,  whenever  he 
brought  food  to  his  father  and  waited  upon  him,  to  show 
his  respect  by  putting  on  his  finest  raiment.  For  he  said  to 
himself,  "In  my  eyes  my  father  is  a  king,  and  it  would  be- 
come me  ill  to  serve  him  other  than  as  I  would  serve  a  king, 
with  my  very  best".  Such  was  the  honor  and  love  of  Esau 
for  his  father.  And  the  rabbis  told  that  God  spared  his 
descendants  much  hardship  and  suffering  as  the  reward  for 
this  one  good  act. 

This,  too,  bids  us  realize  that  no  one  is  wholly  bad;  that 


236  The  Book  of  Genesis 

some  good  can  be  found  in  everyone,  if  only  we  look  for  it. 
Ofttimes  the  man  who  has  been  the  worst  criminal  or  the 
basest  sinner,  when  given  another  chance,  shows  himself  a 
hero  and  a  benefactor.  In  fact,  as  we  have  indicated,  it 
happened  so  with  Jacob  himself.  It  warns  us  to  be  careful 
in  judging  others,  and  not  to  be  too  hasty  to  condemn  them 
or  think  them  wholly  bad.  Be  quick  to  think  good  of  others, 
and  slow  to  think  evil.  This  is  an  excellent  motto,  which 
must  greatly  multiply  human  happiness  and  brotherly  love. 
Hillel  used  to  say,  "Judge  not  another  until  thou  hast  stood 
in  his  place".  Who  can  tell  whether  we  should  do  better 
under  similar  conditions?  The  story  is  told  that  the  home 
of  Rabbi  Meir  was  surrounded  by  evil  neighbors,  who 
greatly  annoyed  the  good  rabbi  and  his  noble  wife.  One 
day,  when  particularly  vexed,  Beruria  exclaimed,  "Would  to 
God  that  all  sinners  might  perish  from  the  earth !"  But  the 
gentle  rabbi  mildly  rebuked  her,  "Pray  not  to  God  that  the 
sinners  perish,  for  they  are  still  thy  fellowmen.  But  pray 
to  Him  that  sin  may  perish  from  the  earth,  for  then  sinners 
will  be  no  more".  This  is  the  mission  of  Israel,  not  to  judge 
and  condemn  sinners,  but  to  labor  and  to  teach,  that  sin  may 
at  last  perish  from  the  earth,  and  all  men  be  united  in  a 
covenant  of  peace,  righteousness  and  love,  to  do  the  will 
of  God. 

Esau's  loving  conduct  towards  his  father  reminds  us 
strongly  of  Isaac's  trusting  love  in,  and  obedience  to  his 
father  Abraham.  It  reminds  us  also  of  another  charming 
story  of  the  rabbis.  In  the  city  of  Askelon,  in  ancient 
Palestine,  lived  a  young  man  named  Dama,  who  dealt  in 
precious  stones.  One  day  some  of  the  elders  came  to  buy 
a  certain  stone  for  the  breastplate  of  the  highpriest.  They 
offered  one  thousand  gold  pieces.  Dama  went  to  the  inner 
room,  where  his  jewels  were  kept,  to  get  the  stone.  But  in 
a  moment  he  returned  and  told  the  elders  that  he  could 
not  let  them  have  it.  They  thought  that  they  had  not  offered 


A  Fathers  Blessing  237 

enough,  and  since  they  needed  the  stone,  they  doubled  their 
offer.  When  this  did  not  induce  Dama  to  change  his  mind, 
they  offered  still  more,  even  ten  thousand  gold  pieces,  but 
all  in  vain.  So  they  left  the  shop.  Later  in  the  day,  how- 
ever, they  returned  and  renewed  their  offer  of  ten  thousand 
gold  pieces.  Without  a  word  Dama  went  into  the  inner 
room,  brought  out  the  stone  and  handed  it  to  the  chief  of 
the  elders.  "Here  is  the  stone",  he  said;  "you  may  have  it 
for  your  first  offer  of  one  thousand  gold  pieces".  Unable 
to  explain  this  strange  conduct  the  elders  asked  what  he 
meant.  He  answered,  "When  I  went  this  morning  to  .get 
the  stone,  I  saw  that  my  father  was  asleep  with  his  foot 
upon  the  box  in  which  the  stone  was.  He  is  old  and  needs 
his  sleep,  and  I  would  not  disturb  him  for  ten  times  the 
amount  you  offered.  Now  he  is  awake,  so  here  is  the 
stone".  The  wise  elders,  struck  by  this  reply,  urged  him  to 
take  the  ten  thousand  gold  pieces,  which  they  had  offered. 
But  he  refused;  for  he  said,  "I  was  satisfied  with  the  first 
price,  and  will  not  make  any  profit  from  my  love  for  my 
father".  So  the  elders  paid  one  thousand  gold  pieces  and 
took  the  stone.  But  first  they  laid  their  hands  in  blessing 
upon  his  head.  "For  surely",  they  said,  "the  son  who 
honors  his  father  thus,  merits  God's  choicest  blessing".  So, 
the  rabbis  taught,  did  Esau  also  honor  his  father. 

When  we  contrast  Jacob's  conduct  in  this  one  instance 
with  Esau's,  we  can  not  but  recall  the  beautiful  words  of 
the  Psalmist: 

Who  shall  ascend  into  the  mountain  of  the  Lord? 

And  who  shall  stand  in  His  holy  place? 

He  that  hath  clean  hands  and  a  pure  heart ; 

Who  hath  not  taken  My  name  in  vain, 

And  hath  not  sworn  deceitfully. 

He  shall  receive  a  blessing  from  the  Lord, 

And  righteousness  from  the  God  of  his  salvation. 

Jacob   had   deceived   his    father   and   gained   his   blessing. 


238  The  Book  of  Genesis 

But  it  brought  with  it  sin  and  sorrow  and  suffering  for  him 
and  all  his  family.  But  to  him  who  doeth  righteousness  and 
worketh  good,  who  lifteth  not  up  his  soul  to  falsehood  nor 
sweareth  deceitfully,  nor  taketh  God's  name  in  vain,  who 
honoreth  father  and  mother,  and  bringeth  peace  and  kind- 
ness to  brothers  and  fellowmen,  to  him  cometh  the  greatest 
blessing,  the  blessing  of  God,  the  Father  of  all  men.  And 
he  is  fit  to  ascend  into  the  mountain  of  the  Lord,  and  to 
stand  in  God's  very  presence. 

NOTES 

V.  13.  A  curse,  like  a  blessing,  if  once  uttered,  could  not  be 
recalled.  But  it  might  be  diverted  to  some  person  other  than  the 
one  for  whom  it  was  intended,  particularly  if  that  second  person 
were  willing  to  take  it  upon  himself.  Therefore  Rebekah  says,  "Upon 
me  be  the  curse".  -These  words  alone  sufficed  to  turn  any  curse  which 
Isaac  might  utter  against  Jacob  upon  her.  And  Jacob  selfishly  per- 
mitted this  great  sacrifice  on  the  part  of  his  mother. 

V.  21.  This  verse  seems  to  imply  that  Isaac  suddenly  became 
suspicious  of  Jacob,  of  course,  as  the  next  verse  tells,  because  his 
voice  sounded  so  little  like  Esau's.  But  the  rabbis  told  that  the 
reason  for  Isaac's  suspicion  was  because  Jacob  had  mentioned  the 
name  of  the  Lord  (v.  20),  which  Esau  had  never  done. 

V.  22.  The  expression,  "The  -voice  is  the  voice  of  Jacob,  but  the 
hands  are  the  hands  of  Esau",  has  become  proverbial  for  any  harsh, 
deceitful  act  which  follows  fair  promises.  This  may  be  explained  to 
the  children. 

V.  23  tells  that  Isaac  blessed  Jacob  even  before  his  suspicions  were 
completely  quieted,  and  before  he  had  eaten  of  the  food  which  Jacob 
had  brought.  It  is  clear  that  this  verse  comes  too  soon,  and  disturbs 
the  continuity  of  the  story,  and  is  therefore  a  late  insertion.  The 
blessing  is  recounted  in  its  proper  place  in  vv.  27ff. 

V.  28.  In  Palestine,  where  the  rainfall  is  frequently  deficient, 
the  heavy  dewfall  is  of  extreme  importance  in  agricultural  life. 
Hence  the  reference  to  the  dew  of  heaven  here.  Palestine  is  primarily 
an  agricultural  country;  and  this  first  verse  of  the  blessing  invokes 
agricultural  abundance. 

V.  29.  By  "mother's  sons"  and  again  by  "brethren"  in  v.  37  is 
meant  not  brothers  other  than  Esau,  for  there  were  none  such,  but 
only  other  relatives  and  descendants.  Similarly  Abraham  calls  Lot 


A  Father's  Blessing  239 

his  "brother"  (XIII,  8),  and  the  same  term  designates  the  relationship 
between  Laban  and  Jacob  (XXIX,  12  and  15),  although  in  both  cases 
they  were  actually  only  uncle  and  nephew.  Kinship  is  very  frequently 
expressed  in  this  manner  in  the  Semitic  Orient. 

The  last  portion  of  Isaac's  blessing  reminds  us  strongly  of  God's 
word  to  Abraham,  "And  I  will  bless  them  that  bless  thee,  and  him 
that  curseth  thee  will  I  curse"  (XII,  3).  The  implication  would  seem 
to  be  that  by  these  words  God's  blessing  of  Abraham  is  transmitted 
to  Jacob. 

V.  30.  The  dramatic  effect  of  the  statement  that  Esau  comes  in 
just  as  Jacob  goes  out  after  receiving  the  blessing,  is  readily  per- 
ceived. The  implication  is  that  had  Esau  come  but  a  moment  sooner, 
he  might  still  have  circumvented  Jacob  and  secured  the  blessing  for 
himself.  "A  moment  too  late"  is  a  common  motive  in  drama. 

Vv.  32  and  37  imply  that  a  blessing  once  uttered,  could  not  be  re- 
called or  altered. 

V.  36.  For  the  play  upon  the  name  Jacob  here,  cf.  the  note  to 
XXV,  26. 

V.  40  has  been  thought  by  historians  to  refer  to  the  revolution 
by  which  Edom  succeeded,  during  the  reign  of  Joram,  about  849 
B.  C.  in  casting,  off  the  yoke  of  Judah  and  gaining  its  independence 
(II  Kings  VIII,  20-22). 

V.  41.  The  implication  of  this  verse  and  of  the  entire  story  is 
that  the  death  of  Isaac  is  imminent.  This  is  in  contrast  to  XXXV,  29. 

V.  46  and  XXVIII,  1-9  introduce  an  altogether  new  and  disturb- 
ing element  into  the  story.  They  are  the  direct  continuation  of  XXVI, 
34f.  They  imply  that  Jacob  left  his  home,  not  because  of  Esau's 
hatred  and  desire  for  vengeance  and  at  the  bidding  of  Rebekah  alone, 
but  at  the  bidding  of  Isaac,  and  after  having  peacably  received,  or 
received  a  second  time,  his  father's  blessing,  because  Isaac  and  Re- 
bekah disapproved  of  Esau's  marriage  with  Hittite  women,  and 
wished  to  ensure  Jacob's  making  a  proper  marriage  with  some  kins- 
woman, just  as  his  father  had  done.  This  version  is,  of  course,  a 
protest  against  intermarriage.  This  and  other  incontrovertible  evi- 
dence make  it  certain  that  this  entire  passage  was  not  a  part  of  the 
original  narrative,  but  was  inserted  during,  or  shortly  after  the  Baby- 
lonian exile,  about  which  time  opposition  to  intermarriage  first  became 
acute  in  Israel.  The  passage  is  contradictory  of  the  main  narrative, 
and  disturbs  the  continuity  and  obscures  the  real  question  at  issue. 
XXVIII,  10  is  the  direct  continuation  of  XXVII,  45. 


240  The  Book  of  Genesis 


XVII 
GOD    IS   WITH   US 

(Genesis  XXVIII,  10-22) 

Surely  the  Lord  is  in  this  place;  and  I  knew  it  not.  (Genesis 
XXVIII,  16.) 

The  Lord  is  nigh  unto  all  them  that  call  upon  Him, 
To  all  that  call  upon  Him  in  truth.     (Psalm  CXLV,  18.) 

Read  Psalm  XXIII. 

So,  because  of  his  sin  against  his  old,  blind  father  and 
his  twin  brother,  Jacob  had  to  leave  home  and  dear  ones, 
even  his  beloved  mother.  She  had  sinned  that  he  might  gain 
the  blessing;  in  his  happiness  and  success  she  would  find  her 
own  greatest  joy.  But  happiness  and  pleasure  which  come 
through  sinning  are  never  real  nor  lasting.  The  pleasure  of 
a  moment  must  be  succeeded  by  long  hours  of  sorrow,  suf- 
fering and  endless  regret.  It  is  a  part  of  God's  punishment 
of  sin. 

Jacob  had  gained  his  father's  blessing  as  Rebekah  had 
wished.  But  to  both  it  brought  only  suffering  and  separa- 
tion. She  had  expected  that  he  would  be  gone  but  a  few 
days.  But  neither  was  to  see  the  other  again.  It  was  a 
hard  punishment  indeed.  Perhaps  it  was  harder  upon 
Rebekah,  because  of  her  great,  unselfish  mother  love.  We 
can  picture  her  sitting  at  the  door  of  her  tent  almost  every 
day  toward  evening,  looking  out  steadily  in  the  direction  in 
which  Jacob  had  gone,  and  from  which  he  must  come  again ; 
looking  out  day  by  day  with  ever-growing  hopelessness  in 
her  eyes,  wondering  if  he  would  ever  come  back,  that  once 


God  is  With   Us  241 

more,  before  she  died,  she  might  feel  his  strong,  loving  arms 
about  her.  He  never  came;  and  at  last  she  closed  her  eyes 
and  was  laid  to  rest,  without  her  beloved  son  present  to 
receive  her  last  kiss,  and  to  shed  a  tear  as  the  doors  of  the 
tomb  were  closed  above  her.  She  had  gained  for  Jacob  a 
father's  blessing;  but  she  had  lost  thereby  the  opportunity  to 
give  unto  him  all  of  a  mother's  love  and  a  mother's  blessing. 
It  was  hard  indeed,  yet  it  was  just,  as  God's  decrees  are 
always  just. 

But  it  was  hard  for  Jacob,  too.  As  he  went  forth  from 
his  home,  not  knowing  what  fate  was  in  store  for  him,  nor 
whether  he  should  ever  return  thither,  he  began  to  realize 
all  that  he  had  lost,  a  mother's  love  and  a  father's  love  and 
a  brother's  love,  all  sacrificed  to  selfish,  wicked  ambition. 
As  he  wandered  on,  ever  farther  from  his  father's  house, 
he  felt  more  and  more  alone  in  the  world.  It  seemed  as  if 
there  was  no  one  at  all  to  care  for  him,  to  cheer  him  in  his 
trials,  to  comfort  him  in  his  grief,  to  help  lighten  the  journey 
he  must  go,  and  lift  the  burden  for  a  moment  from  his 
tired  shoulders.  He  must  have  thought  of  his  beloved  grand- 
father, Abraham,  who  had,  years  ago,  gone  over  this  same 
road,  though  in  an  opposite  direction.  Yet  how  differently 
had  Abraham  journeyed.  He  had  had  with  him  his  beloved 
Sarah  and  Lot,  his  nephew,  and  all  his  household.  Above 
all  he  had  journeyed  on  at  God's  command,  and  strong  in 
his  faith  that  God  was  with  him.  And  God  had  been  with 
him.  But  with  him,  Jacob,  it  was  different.  He  was  all 
alone,  and  even  God,  he  felt,  must  have  forsaken  him  be- 
cause of  his  sin.  Now  he  realized  as  never  before,  the  full 
wrong  he  had  done  to  his  brother.  He  must  have  thought, 
too,  of  Cain,  driven  out  because  of  his  crime  against  his 
brother,  from  the  presence  of  God  and  men,  and  forced  to 
wander  on  and  on,  solitary  and  hopeless,  until  death  at  last 
overtook  him.  He  was  like  Cain,  not  like  Abraham,  and 
God  had  forsaken  him,  too,  and  left  him  to  his  fate. 


242  The  Book  of  Genesis 

So  he  wandered  on  throughout  that  long  and  bitter  day. 
At  last  darkness  came  upon  him  in  a  wild,  desolate,  forsaken 
spot.  He  looked  anxiously  about  him.  Rocks  on  all  sides, 
as  far  as  eye  could  see,  and  no  sign  of  living  being  in  any 
direction.  More  than  ever  he  realized  his  loneliness ;  and 
fear,  too,  began  to  lay  hold  upon  him  of  what  might  befall 
him  in  this  awful  place,  with  not  even  God  to  protect  him. 
So  the  sinner  always  fears,  when  the  consciousness  of  his 
sin  dawns  upon  him,  and  he  feels  that  even  God  has  for- 
saken him. 

But  at  last  weariness  overcame  fear,  and  he  fell  asleep, 
with  his  head  pillowed  upon  a  great  stone.  But  it  was  no 
easy,  restful  sleep.  The  consciousness  of  his  sin,  the  realiza- 
tion of  all  that  he  had  lost,  and  the  longing  for  his  loved 
ones  were  still  upon  him,  and  his  fears  still  troubled  him. 
But  suddenly  a  glorious  vision  came  to  him  in  a  dream.  He 
saw  a  ladder  reaching  up  to  heaven  from  the  very  spot 
upon  which  he  was  lying,  with  angels  ascending  and  descend- 
ing, and  God  Himself  standing  above  him.  And  he  heard 
God's  words  addressed  to  him,  "I  am  the  Lord,  the  God  of 
Abraham  thy  father,  and  the  God  of  Isaac.  The  land 
whereon  thou  liest,  to  thee  will  I  give  it,  and  to  thy  seed. 
And  thy  seed  shall  be  as  the  dust  of  the  earth,  and  thou 
shalt  spread  abroad  to  the  west,  and  to  the  east,  and  to  the 
north,  and  to  the  south.  And  in  thee  and  in  thy  seed  shall 
all  the  families  of  the  earth  be  blessed.  And,  behold,  I  am 
with  thee,  and  will  keep  thee  whithersoever  thou  goest,  and 
will  bring  thee  back  into  this  land ;  for  I  will  not  leave  thee, 
until  I  have  done  that  which  I  have  spoken  to  thee  of". 
And  with  these  words  there  came  to  Jacob  peace  and  rest, 
and  he  slept  quietly  until  morning. 

When  he  awoke  the  dream  was  still  with  him.  He  felt 
that  it  must  have  been  sent  by  God,  to  make  him  realize 
that  God  had  not  forsaken  him,  even  despite  his  sin ;  that 
He  was  still  with  him,  and  would  be  with  him  throughout 


God  is  With   Us  243 

his  long  and  weary  journey,  and  would  bring  him  back  in 
His  own  time  to  this  very  land,  perhaps  even 'to  his  father's 
house.  Desolate  as  this  place  seemed,  and  forsaken  of  all 
living  creatures,  none  the  less  God  was  here  too.  "Surely 
the  Lord  is  in  this  place ;  and  I  knew  it  not".  So  Jacob 
spoke.  And  unconsciously  he  had  uttered  a  great,  eternal 
truth.  For  God  is  in  every  place;  this  whole  universe  which 
He  has  created  is  filled  with  His  presence.  As  the  Psalmist 
has  said : 

\Yhither  shall  I  go   from  Thy  spirit? 

Or  whither  shall  I   flee   from  Thy  presence? 

If  I  ascend  up  into  heaven,  Thou  art  there; 

If  I  make  my'  bed  in  the  netherworld,  behold,  Thou  art  there. 

If   I  take  the  wings   of   the  morning, 

And  dwell  in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  sea; 

Even  there  would  Thy  hand  lead  me, 

And  Thy  right  hand  would  hold  me. 

And  if  I  say ;   'Surely  the  darkness  shall  envelop  me, 

And  the   light   about   me    shall  be   night' ; 

Even  the  darkness  is  not  too  dark  for  Thee, 

But  the  night  shineth  as  the  day ; 

The  darkness   is   even   as   the  light.      (Psalm   CXXXIX,   7-12.) 

God  is  in  every  place  and  at  all  times.  He  is  with  all 
His  children  to  care  for  and  guide  and  protect  them,  and 
lead  them  ever  in  His  path,  as  long  as  they  will  but  hearken 
to  His  gentle  word  and  follow  His  loving  call.  In  the 
words  of  the  Psalmist: 

The  Lord   is   my  shepherd ;    I  shall  not  want. 

He  maketh  me  to  lie  down  in  green  pastures; 

He  leadeth  me  beside  the  still  waters. 

He  restoreth   my   soul ; 

He  guideth  me  in  straight  paths  for  His  name's  sake. 

Yea,  though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death, 

I  will  fear  no  evil, 

For  thou  art  with  me ; 

Thy  rod  and  Thy  staff,  they  comfort  me. 


244  The  Book  of  Genesis 

This  was  the  truth  which  Jacob  now  realized,  that  even 
in  this  desolate  spot,  which  had  seemed  in  the  gathering 
gloom  like  the  very  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  God  was 
still  with  him,  and  though  he  had  lain  down  in  fear  and 
trembling,  God  still  watched  over  him. 

Jacob  is  the  type  of  all  Israel.  Israel,  too,  has  learned 
this  truth  through  bitter  experience.  Time  and  again  he  has 
had  to  leave  home,  like  Jacob,  lest  he  suffer  and  perish  at 
the  hands  of  those  who  should  have  been  his  brothers.  And 
he  has  wandered  forth  into  the  strange  world,  not  knowing 
whither  he  was  going,  nor  whether  the  journey  must  be  long 
or  short,  nor  whether  he  should  ever  find  rest  and  peace. 
At  times  he  must  have  doubted  and  wondered,  as  did  Jacob, 
whether  God  was  with  him,  or  whether  he  was  not  alone  in 
the  world,  forsaken  of  God  and  men.  But  it  was  only  for 
a  moment.  Always  the  conviction  returned,  stronger  because 
of  the  moment's  doubt,  that  God  was  in  this  place,  too,  al- 
though he  knew  it  not,  that  He  was  still  with  him,  and  had 
not  forsaken  him,  nor  would  ever  forsake  him,  that  He 
would  be  with  him  upon  the  long  and  bitter  journey  which 
he  must  go,  and  at  last,  when  the  goal  should  be  reached 
and  his  mission  be  fulfilled,  he  would,  through  God's  bless- 
ing, find  the  rest  and  peace  and  reconciliation  with  his 
brethren  for  which  he  craved.  In  this  quiet  trust  and  undy- 
ing faith  in  the  God  of  his  fathers,  though  enemies  raged 
and  danger  threatened,  and  he  must  wander  on  and  on, 
Israel  has  repeated  those  inspiring  words  of  the  closing  verse 
of  the  beautiful  Hebrew  song  in  our  prayer-book  (Union 
Prayer  Book,  I,  52-53)  : 

My  spirit  in  His  hands  I  trust,  B'yodo  afkid  ruhi 
Both  when  I  sleep  and  when  I  stir;  B'eth  ishan  tfo'iro; 

My  body,  too,  this   frame  of  dust :  Vim  ruhi  g'inyothi. 
The  Lord  is  with  me,  I  do  not  fear.  Adonoi  li,  i/lo  iro. 

But  even  more  had  Jacob  realized ;  not  merely  that  God 


God  is  With  Us  245 

is  everywhere  and  with  all  his  children  at  all  times,  but 
even  with  His  sinning  children  He  is  ever  present,  yearning 
for  their  repentance,  seeking  to  turn  them  again  to  Himself 
in  His  great  love,  longing  for  their  regeneration,  that  they 
depart  from  their  evil  ways,  and  walk  again  in  His  path  of 
righteousness.  And  ever  He  is  ready  to  hearken  unto  the 
sinner's  prayer  for  forgiveness  and  help.  Again,  in  the 
Psalmist's  words : 

The  Lord  is  nigh  unto  all  them  that  call  upon   Him, 
To  all  that  call  upon  Him  in  truth. 

To  Jacob  this  truth  came  like  the  dawn  of  hope;  he  was 
not  alone  in  the  world.  Though  no  human  being  might  ac- 
company him,  yet  God  was  with  him,  and  would  be  eyer 
with  him,  whithersoever  he  might  go,  and  would  at  last 
bring  him  back  to  this  land,  and  fulfil  through  him  His 
promise  to  Abraham.  Yes,  it  was  God's  very  promise  to 
Abraham,  that  through  him  and  his  descendants  all  mankind 
should  be  blessed,  which  had  been  renewed  to  Jacob.  God 
had  confirmed  the  birthright  to  him.  But  now,  purified  and 
with  vision  made  clear  by  this  long  day  and  night  of  suffer- 
ing and  fear  and  sorrow,  he  had  come  to  perceive  what  this 
birthright  really  was.  In  this  vision  by  night  the  gate  of 
heaven  had  opened  for  Jacob,  through  which  he  might  once 
more  rise  up  to  God.  The  way  of  repentance,  atonement, 
and  pardon  had  been  shown  him,  whereby  true  peace  and 
blessing  might  once  more  become  his.  It  was  not  to  be  an 
easy  way  nor  short.  It  must  be  long  and  hard,  must  take 
many  years  and  bring  much  additional  suffering  and  bitter 
trial.  True  repentance  can  not  come  speedily,  in  a  single 
night,  nor  can  perfect  righteousness  be  attained  in  a  passing 
moment.  As  the  sage  of  old  said,  "For  gold  is  tried  by 
fire,  and  acceptable  man  in  the  furnace  of  adversity".  All 
this  Jacob  now  realized  fully.  But  with  this  realization  came 
the  comforting  and  inspiring  thought  that  God  had  not  for- 


246  The  Book  of  Genesis 

saken  him.  It  was  the  beginning  of  Jacob's  regeneration. 
He  had  lain  down  a  trembling,  fearful  sinner.  He  arose,  a 
brave,  strong  man,  firm  in  his  faith  in  God's  love,  and  strong 
in  his  determination  to  walk  henceforth  in  God's  path,  that 
through  him  and  his  descendants  God's  promise  might  be 
fulfilled,  and  all  mankind  be  blessed. 

And  as  he  rose  from  his  hard  bed,  the  very  first  sign  of 
true  repentance  was  manifested  in  him.  Once  more,  with 
unutterable  longing,  his  thoughts  reverted  to  those  dear  ones 
at  home  whom  he  had  wronged,  his  mother,  upon  whom  he 
had  been  willing  to  let  the  evil  curse  come,  his  brother,  whom 
he  had  cheated  and  robbed,  and  above  all,  his  old,  blind 
father,  whom  he  had  so  basely  deceived.  Almost  uncon- 
sciously the  prayer  welled  forth  from  his  heart  that  God 
might  not  only  be  with  him  upon  this  journey,  and  provide 
for  his  needs,  and  bring  him  back  to  this  land,  but,  above 
all,  that  He  might  at  last  bring  him  again  even  to  his  father's 
house,  no  more  in  discord  and  deceit,  but  in  peace  with  all 
the  loved  ones  whom  he  had  wronged,  that  he  might  labor 
to  right  the  wrong,  and  return  unto  them  love  in  fullest 
measure.  That  is  always  the  first  step  toward  true  repent- 
ance. The  rabbis  taught  that,  despite  His  great  love,  God 
does  not  forgive  the  sins  we  commit  against  others,  until 
we  have  ourselves  first  made  every  effort  to  right  the  wrong 
and  obtain  the  wronged  one's  pardon. 

We  have  heard  very  much  thus  far  of  God's  unfailing 
love,  and  of  how  He  bears  constantly  with  men,  seeking 
ever  that  they  may  return  to  Him  and  live.  We  remember 
the  beautiful  story  of  Abraham,  who  could  not  bear  with  the 
poor,  ignorant,  old  fire-worshiper  for  a  single  night,  though 
God  had  borne  with  him  for  a  hundred  years.  We  think, 
too,  of  the  beautiful  allegory,  that  God  has  given  to  every 
man  two  angels,  who  accompany  him,  one  at  his  right 
shoulder  and  one  at  his  left,  wherever  he  goes.  Whenever 
he  does  a  good  deed,  the  angel  on  the  right  smiles,  and 


God  is   With   Us  247 

writes  it  in  his  book,  and  seals  the  record  for  all  time.  But 
whenever  he  does  an  evil  deed,  the  angel  on  the  left  grows 
sad  while  he  writes  it  in  his  book.  But  he  does  not  seal  his 
record  until  midnight.  If  during  the  rest  of  the  day,  the 
man  repents,  and  bows  his  head  and  prays,  "O  God,  I  have 
sinned;  forgive",  the  record  is  erased.  But  if  he  does  not 
repent  and  acknowledge  his  sin,  the  evil  record,  too,  is  sealed 
forever.  And  both  the  angel  on  the  right  and  the  angel  on 
the  left  weep  sadly  for  the  sin  which  had  to  be  recorded. 
We  have  heard  much  thus  far  of  repentance,  but  now  for 
the  first  time  we  have  learned  of  one  who  repented.  We 
shall  see  how  he  was  purified,  and  how  God  pardoned  him, 
and  was  with  him  upon  all  his  journey.  So  God  is  with  us 
and  never  forsakes  us  even  if  we  sin.  Ever  He  calls  unto 
us  to  repent  and  return  to  Him.  Ever  He  is  with  us  and 
leads  us  on,  and  we  need  not  fear.  Ever  He  is  our  shep- 
herd, and  we  do  not  want.  Ever  His  great,  eternal,  won- 
drous love  watches  over  us,  both  when  we  sleep  and  when 
we  stir.  And  ever  when  we  forget  and  turn  from  Him,  and 
go  astray  from  His  path,  still  He  is  with  us,  and  we  can 
return  to  Him,  as  Father  Jacob  did,  and  be  assured  of  His 
forgiveness  and  His  help  and  His  blessing. 

NOTES 

V.  11.  Notice  that  Jacob  came  to  this  place  by  chance,  and  had 
known  absolutely  nothing  of  it  previously.  The  use  of  the  definite 
article  in  the  Hebrew,  reproduced  in  the  English,  "the  place",  instead 
of  "a  place",  as  we  would  expect,  is  difficult  and  mystifying. 

In  the  Orient  it  is  not  uncommon  for  shepherds  to  use  a  con- 
veniently shaped  stone  as  a  pillow;  cf.  National  Geographic  Magazine, 
March,  1914,  270. 

Vv.  13-15  renew  to  Jacob  God's  promise  to  Abraham;  cf.  XII, 
3,  7;  XIII,  14-17;  XXII,  18;  XXIV,  7. 

V.  17.  According  to  the  ancient  Semitic  conception,  there  was  a 
gate  to  heaven,  through  which  the  gods  passed  when  they  visited  the 
earth  ;  cf.  the  note  to  XI,  9.  Occasionally  heaven  was  conceived  as 
having  two  gates,  one  in  the  extreme  east,  through  which  the  sun 


248  The  Book  of  Genesis 

emerged  in  the  morning,  and  one  in  the  extreme  west,  into  which 
the  sun  entered  in  the  evening. 

V.  18.  The  verse  implies  that  the  stone  was  consecrated  by  Jacob 
as  a  sacred  object.  Pouring  oil  upon  a  person  or  object  was  the 
usual  method  of  consecration;  cf.  XXXV,  14;  Exodus  XXIX,  21; 
XXX,  25-33 ;  XL,  9.  In  ancient  Semitic  religion  sacred  stones  were 
commonly  used.  It  was  thought,  in  the  earliest  stages  of  religious  be- 
lief that  a  god  actually  dwelt  within  such  a  sacred  stone,  which  was 
therefore  called  a  beth-el,  i.  e.  a  "house  of  god".  In  time  Judaism  out- 
grew this  ancient  belief,  and  the  use  of  sacred  stones  was  forbidden 
(Deuteronomy  XVI,  22).  But  this  belief  is  still  reflected  in  v.  22 
of  this  chapter. 

V.  19.  As  has  been  said,  beth-el  means  "house  of  god".  Bethel 
was  originally  an  important  Canaanite  city  and  shrine.  Luz  seems  to 
have  been  its  Canaanite  name.  The  account  of  the  capture  of  Bethel 
by  the  Israelites  is  contained  in  Judges  I,  22-25.  After  the  division 
of  the  kingdom  Bethel  became  one  of  the  national  shrines  of  the 
northern  kingdom  (I  Kings  XII,  28-33).  At  Bethel  the  prophet  Amos 
uttered  his  prophecies  (Amos  VII,  10).  XII,  8  ascribes  the  found- 
ing of  the  sanctuary  at  Bethel,  not  to  Jacob,  but  to  Abraham.  Cf. 
Jewish  Encyclopedia  III,  119b. 

V.  22.  The  practice  of  giving  tithes  to  the  deity  of  the  sanctuary 
was  well  established  in  ancient  Israel;  cf.  Deuteronomy  XIV,  22-29. 


Jacob  and  Lab  an  249 


XVIII 

JACOB  AND  LABAN 

(Genesis  XXIX-XXXII,  2) 

Return  unto  the  land  of  thy  fathers,  and  to  thy  kindred;  and  I  will 
be  with  thee.  (Genesis  XXXI,  3.) 

Create  me  a  clean  heart,  O  God; 

And  renew  a  steadfast  spirit  within  me.  *  (Psalm  LI,  12.) 

Read  Proverbs  III,  1-7. 

At  dawn  Jacob  rose,  a  new  man.  Once  more  he  set  out 
upon  his  long,  solitary  journey.  Yet  how  different  was  this 
from  that  awful  yesterday.  Then  he  felt  alone  and  terror- 
stricken,  forsaken  both  of  men  and  God;  today  God  was 
with  him.  Bravely,  cheerfully,  even  happily  he  journeyed 
on,  and  at  last  he  came  to  Haran,  his  beloved  mother's  birth- 
place, where  his  uncle  Laban  was  dwelling.  It  seemed -to 
him,  so  the  wise  rabbis  told,  that  he  had  journeyed  but  a 
single  day.  So  it  is  always  when  we  know  that  God  is  with 
us.  Then  true  happiness  fills  our  souls ;  then  days  seem  mo- 
ments, and  no  worthy  task  is  too  hard,  no  obstacle  too  great. 
In  the  inspiring  word's  of  Mattathia  to  his  brave  son  Judah 
Maccabee,  "With  God  everything  is  possible". 

The  change  which  had  come  over  Jacob,  the  rabbis  taught, 
was  manifest  in  his  words  to  the  very  first  persons  he  met 
upon  his  journey,  the  shepherds  of  Haran.  For  he  greeted 
them  by  the  significant  title,  "My  brethren".  The  conscious- 
ness that  all  men  are  brothers,  they  taught,  is  the  beginning 
of  unselfishness.  So  it  was  with  Jacob.  He  had  deceived 
and  defrauded  his  own  brother,  nor  felt  himself  in  any  way 


250  The  Book  of  Genesis 

his  brother's  keeper,  nor  responsible  for  his  welfare  and 
happiness.  Now  he  was  a  different  man,  and  so  he  hailed 
the  shepherds,  "My  brethren,  whence  are  ye?"  And  when 
the  flocks  had  gathered,  his  cousin  Rachel's  among  them, 
Jacob  showed  himself  eager  to  help  in  the  only  way  be  could. 
Unaided,  he  rolled  the  great  stone  from  the  mouth  of  the 
well,  that  the  shepherds  might  water  their  flocks.  It  was  a 
little  thing,  but  it  showed  the  change  in  Jacob. 

The  rabbis  told  that  when  God  saw  this  evidence  of  the 
change  in  Jacob,  He  was  so  pleased,  that  a  miracle  happened. 
For  previously  the  well  had  been  very  deep,  and  its  water 
had  to  be  drawn  up  laboriously  in  buckets.  Now,  of  its  own 
accord,  the  water  rose  to  the  surface,  so  that  the  flocks  could 
drink  thereof  themselves.  There  it  remained  during  the 
entire  twenty  years  of  Jacob's  sojourn  in  Haran.  And  the 
people  knew  that  this  had  happened  only  because  of  Jacob, 
that  he  had  brought  blessing  unto  them,  and  therefore  they 
loved  him  and  were  eager  to  keep  him  always  with  them. 
They  felt  him  to  be  their  brother,  even  as  he  had  addressed 
them  at  first.  One  of  the  wise,  old  rabbis  used  to  say,  "One 
good  deed  causes  another".  So  it  was  now  with  Jacob. 
But  to  him  this  wonder  meant  even  more  than  to  the  people 
of  Haran ;  he  knew  that  God  had  done  this,  and  that  it  was 
a  sign  that  God  would  fulfil  His  promise,  and  would  be 
with  him,  even  here  in  this  distant  country. 

The  rabbis  taught  also  that  not  only  were  Jacob's  first 
words  to  the  shepherds  indicative  of  the  change  which  had 
come  over  him,  but  also  his  second  words,  "Lo,  it  is  yet 
high  day,  neither  is  it  time  that  the  cattle  should  be  gathered 
together;  water  ye  the  sheep,  and  go  and  feed  them".  He 
had  merely  expressed  his  surprise  at  their  procedure ;  yet  it 
was  also  a  partial  rebuke  of  their  laziness  and  indifference 
to  their  masters'  interests.  It  indicated,  too,  that  in  his  own 
labors  for  his  uncle  Laban,  his  conduct  would  be  above  re- 
proach. He  would  not  shirk  a  single  task,  no  matter  how 


Jacob  and  Laban  251 

hard;  day  and  night  he  would  guard  the  flock,  and  willingly 
sacrifice  his  own  comfort  and  desires  for  his  master's  wel- 
fare. That  is  the  true  spirit  of  service,  and  Jacob  had  al- 
ready begun  to  learn  his  lesson  well.  For  his  twenty  years' 
service  of  his  uncle  Laban,  bitter  and  hard  .and  exacting, 
was  to  be  but  the  training  and  preparation  for  a  lifelong 
service  of  the  supreme  Master,  in  which  there  is  no  room 
for  laziness,  selfishness  and  self-indulgence,  a  service  which 
would  also  prove  hard  and  exacting,  but  never  bitter,  when 
performed  in  the  right  spirit  of  unselfishness,  brotherhood, 
and  love. 

And  there  at  the  well  Jacob  met  Rachel,  his  beloved.  It 
must  have  seemed  to  him  almost  as  if  God  had  sent  her, 
another  proof  that  God  was  with  him.  The  story  of  the 
love  of  Jacob  and  Rachel  is  one  of  the  most  romantic  and 
beautiful  in  the  entire  Bible.  The  simple  statement  that  the 
many  years  of  hard  labor  which  he  served  for  her  seemed 
but  a  few  days,  so  great  was  his  love  for  her,  shows  the 
human  side  of  the  authors,  and  makes  us  realize  that  Jacob 
is  not  altogether  an  imaginary,  allegorical  figure,  but  is 
depicted  as  a  real  man  of  flesh  and  blood,  of  love  and  selfish- 
ness, of  strength  and  weakness,  like  ourselves,  and  that  his 
struggles  to  conquer  his  evil  inclinations  differ  not  one  whit 
from  our  own.  We  are  indeed  grateful  for  this  delicate  and 
delightful,  human  touch. 

At  last  the  seven  years  of  service  for  Rachel  were  com- 
pleted. Joyously  Jacob  prepared  to  receive  his  beloved  re- 
ward. We  can  picture  the  expectant  rapture  with  which  he 
approaches  the  loved  one  and  draws  back  the  veil  from  her 
face,  and  the  surprise,  disappointment,  and  grief,  when  he 
finds  that  it  is  not  Rachel  at  all,  but  Leah,  the  unbeloved. 
Bitterly  he  reproached  her  and  her  father  for  deceiving  him. 
He  had  labored  faithfully,  and  had  fulfilled  his  part  of  the 
compact  honorably  and  well.  Had  he  deserved  this  treat- 
ment from  either  Laban  or  Leah?  Why  had  Leah  answered 


252  The  Book  of  Genesis 

to  the  name  of  Rachel  when  he  called  unto  her  during  the 
marriage?  But  Leah's  answer,  as  related  by  the  rabbis, 
silenced  him  forever.  "Is  there  a  teacher  without  a  pupil?" 
she  asked.  "I  merely  profited  by  thy  instruction.  When 
thy  father  called  thee  Esau,  didst  thou  not  answer,  'Here 
am  F  ?"  Then  Jacob  understood  that  he  had  been  dealt  with 
but  in  the  same  manner  as  he  had  dealt  with  his  own  blind 
father  and  his  own  brother;  he  could  not  complain.  As  the 
sage  of  old  said,  "The  deceiver  will  himself  be  deceived". 
Sadly,  but  with  the  consciousness  that  it  was  deserved,  Jacob 
accepted  Leah  as  his  wife,  and  then  entered  upon  another 
period  of  seven  years'  hard  service  for  Rachel. 

The  wise  rabbi  of  old  had  said  not  merely  that  "One 
good  deed  causes  another  good  deed",  but  also  "And  one 
evil  deed  causes  another  evil  deed".  So  it  was  with  Jacob, 
in  the  evil  deed  as  well  as  in  the  good. .  For  the  deception 
which  he  had  practiced  upon  Isaac  and  Esau  had  been  only 
paralleled  by,  and  had  in  a  way  justified  the  deception  put 
upon  him  by  Laban  and  Leah.  Nevertheless  God,  in  His 
justice,  lets  no  evil  deed  go  unpunished.  We  can  easily  see 
that  Jacob's  dislike  of  Leah,  even  though  she  was  his  wife, 
and  all  the  unhappiness  this  brought  her,  were  but  the  just 
punishment  for  her  part  in  deceiving  her  husband.  That 
which  is  gotten  through  deceit  can  never  bring  happiness. 
The  end  can  never  justify  the  means.  We  have  seen  this 
in  the  case  of  Jacob's  getting  the  birthright  and  the  blessing. 
We  see  it  again  here  in  the  story  of  Leah. 

We  may  be  sure,  however,  that  God  had  allowed  Jacob 
to  be  deceived  in  this  cruel  manner,  not  merely  as  a  punish- 
ment for  the  deceit  he  had  himself  practiced,  but  still  more, 
as  a  test  of  his  real  worth,  and  to  measure  the  change  which 
had  come  over  him  during  these  seven  years.  On  the  whole 
it  would  seem  that  Jacob  had  stood  this  test  well.  He  had 
realized  that  this  was  but  a  fit  return  for  his  own  deception, 
and  had  accepted  Leah  as  his  wife,  if  not  lovingly,  at  least 


Jacob  and  La-ban  253 

loyally.  Apparently  he  was  well  on  his  way  toward  com- 
plete purification  and  regeneration.  And  with  this  peace 
and  happiness  and  quiet  contentment  were  his  during  the 
first  fourteen  years  of  his  service  for  Leah  and  Rachel. 
He  discharged  his  obligations  to  Laban  faithfully  and  loy- 
ally; and  always  there  is  the  peace  and  joy  of  a  satisfied 
and  approving  conscience  in  the  knowledge  that  a  task  is 
well  done.  During  these  years,  too,  children  were  born  to 
him,  and  all  in  all  he  had  ample  proof  that  God  was  with 
him,  as  He  had  promised,  and  was  watching  over  him  and 
providing  for  his  needs,  was  indeed  giving  him  "food  to  eat, 
and  raiment  to  put  on",  even  as  Jacob  had  prayed. 

But  with  the  end  of  these  fourteen  years  of  faithful 
service,  and  the  beginning  of  the  third  period  of  his  sojourn 
with  Laban,  a  change  took  place  in  Jacob.  Continued  suc- 
cess had  tended  to  make  him  self-centered  once  more.  Grad- 
ually the  consciousness  of  God's  blessing,  and  reliance  upon 
God's  help  and  providence  gave  way  to  reliance  upon  self 
and  desire  for  material  gain.  As  his  family  increased,  the 
necessity  of  making  proper  provision  for  them  pressed  upon 
him.  "When  shall  I  provide  for  mine  own  house?"  became 
his  cry  toward  Laban.  More  and  more  his  thoughts  dealt 
with  material  things,  and  sought  material  rewards.  And 
more  and*"  more  he  came  to  resent  Laban's  deceit  and 
treachery,  and  to  seek  revenge  in  kind. 

When  the  fourteen  years  of  service  for  his  two  wives 
had  passed,  and  it  became  necessary  for  Laban  to  negotiate 
other  terms  for  Jacob's  services,  Jacob's  opportunity  had 
come.  He  knew  that  Laban  realized  that  only  through 
Jacob  had  he  prospered  so  exceedingly,  and  therefore  could 
not  dispense  with  his  services.  He  would  make  a  cunning 
bargain  with  his  uncle,  and  would  show  himself  the  shrewder 
of  the  two.  He  would  offer  terms  which  would  seem  to 
Laban's  advantage,  and  which  his  grasping  uncle  would  ac- 
cept eagerly.  But  he  knew  many  shepherd's  tricks,  by  which 


254  The  Book  of  Genesis 

he  could  turn  the  bargain  to  his  advantage,  and  thereby  he 
would  provide  for  himself  and  his  family,  and  would  also 
have  his  revenge.  The  old,  deceitful  Jacob  was  not  dead; 
he  had  merely  lain  dormant  during  all  these  years.  Now 
he  was  again  awake  and  active.  Apparently  these  fourteen 
years  of  trial  and  suffering  and  seeming  purification  had 
availed  naught.  Only  the  outer  surface  of  his  nature  had 
been  altered ;  but  the  depths  of  his  soul  had  not  yet  been 
reached. 

So  these  six  years  passed  and  Jacob  prospered  materially. 
And  whenever  his  perplexed  and  enraged  uncle  deceived  him 
again,  and  changed  his  wages,  as  he  did  repeatedly,  Jacob 
knew  how  to  profit  thereby.  And  he  accounted  for  his  suc- 
cess to  his  uncle,  and  possibly  also  to  himself,  by  the  old, 
oft-repeated  claim  that  God  was  with  him.  Truly  God  was 
still  with  him,  despite  his  deceit.  But  Jacob  had  now  come 
to  understand  and  interpret  it,  that  God  was  with  him  only 
to  protect  and  prosper  him  in  his  cunning.  He  had  almost 
forgotten  during  these  six  years  of  prosperity  through  de- 
ceit, what  the  real  purpose  of  God's  being  with  him  was. 

Not  improbably,  too,  during  these  six  years  his  thoughts 
of  home  and  his  longing  for  the  dear  ones  there  had  grown 
weaker  and  weaker.  His  desires  and  ambitions  were  cen- 
tered upon  something  else.  In  all  likelihood  he  had  ceased 
to  condemn  himself  for  his  treatment  of  his  brother.  After 
all  it  differed  but  little  from  his  conduct  toward  his  uncle 
Laban,  and  of  this  his  present  course  of  life  approved. 
What  mattered  it  that  Laban's  sons  were  beginning  to  eye 
him  askance,  and  to  mutter  suspicions  that  they  were  being 
defrauded?  It  was  clear  that  sooner  or  later  they  must 
separate;  under  present  conditions  they  could  not  abide  to- 
gether long;  and  the  parting  must  be  in  enmity  and  hatred. 
But  meanwhile  Jacob  would  push  his  advantage  to  the  ut- 
most. And  if  his  conscience  at  times  reproved  him,  or  his 
better  nature  sought  to  reassert  itself,  he  knew  how  to 


Jacob  and  Laban  255 

silence  them,  and  to  justify  himself  with  the  thought  that 
Laban  had  first  deceived  him,  and  so  merited  this  treatment, 
and  he  was  only  protecting  himself.  "Deceit  can  be  met 
only  by.  deceit".  It  is  a  common  adage  even  today.  But 
the  story  of  Jacob  proves  its  falsity.  The  sole  truth  in  it 
is  that  in  practice  deceit  is  but  too  often  countered  by  deceit ; 
even  as  the  wise  rabbi  of  old  said,  "One  evil  deed  causes 
another  evil  deed".  Two  wrongs  can  never  make  one  right, 
but  remain  always  two  wrongs,  and  pave  the  way  for  fur- 
ther evil  and  unhappiness. 

At  last,  after  twenty  years,  when  Jacob  could-  abide  with 
Laban  and  his  sons  no  longer,  God's  command  came,  "Re- 
turn unto  the  land  of  thy  fathers,  and  to  thy  kindred;  and 
I  will  be  with  thee".  It  was  the  answer  to  his  prayer, 
spoken  twenty  years  before.  Had  the  word  come  six  years 
sooner,  at  the  end  of  his  first  fourteen  years  of  service,  how 
gladly  would  he  have  availed  himself  of  it.  Even  though 
he  was  then  poor  in  worldly  goods,  still  he  was  rich  in  a 
clear  conscience,  in  the  satisfaction  of  faithful  and  loyal 
service,  and  in  the  love  of  wives  and  children.  And  during 
all  those  years  thoughts  of  the  dear  ones  at  home  and  of 
reunion  and  reconciliation  had  been  uppermost  in  his  mind. 

But  now  it  was  different.  Now  he  was  rich  and  pros- 
perous. But  was  he  truly  happy?  He  must  send  for  his  wives 
to  come  to  him  to  the  field,  where  no  one  might  hear  him 
reveal  his  plans  to  theni.  And  he  must  lie  to  them  in  order 
to  justify  his  conduct,  and  claim  that  he  had  served  their 
father  faithfully,  and  that  he  had  prospered  only  though 
God's  blessing,  and  not  through  his  own  deceit.  And  he 
must  steal  away  stealthily  and  in  fear',  lest  his  father-in-law 
prevent  his  departure,  or  at  least  keep  back  his  daughters 
and  their  children  and  the  flocks,  and  send  him  away  empty- 
handed,  as  he  had  come  twenty  years  before.  His  was 
indeed  a  guilty  conscience.  And  with  a  guilty  conscience 
there  can  be  no  true  happiness. 


256  The  Book  of  Genesis 

At  this  moment  his  conduct  must  have  begun  to  appear 
to  him  in  a  new  light.  And  if  he  did  not,  as  yet,  condemn 
himself  unqualifiedly,  at  least  he  must  have  had  the  feeling 
that  even  though  he  had  prospered  materially,  none  the  less 
he  had  missed  the  real  purpose  of  his  sojourn  in  this  foreign 
land,  and  was  returning  home  but  little  better  than  when 
he  had  set  out.  Now  he  understood  that  it  was  not  so  much 
that  God  had  prospered  him,  as  his  own  deceit  which  had 
made  him  rich  during  the  last  six  years.  Nevertheless  he 
could  not  but  realize  that  even  despite,  his  deceit  God  had 
been  with  him,  as  He  had  promised. 

And  this  realization  was  confirmed  when  Laban  finally 
overtook  him,  and  was  prevented  from  wreaking  his  wrath 
upon  him  only  by  the  vision  of  God  which  had  come  to  him 
the  previous  night,  and  had  bidden  him  refrain  from  violence 
in  his  dealings  with  Jacob.  This,  together  with  Laban's 
failure  to  find  his  stolen  gods,  had  proved  the  superior 
power  of  Jacob's  God  over  the  gods  of  Laban,  and  that  He 
was,  at  the  end  of  these  twenty  years,  still  true  to  His  word 
that  He  would  be  with  Jacob  and  would  protect  him,  and 
would  bring  him  back  to  his  father's  house.  The  covenant 
was  made  with  Laban,  and  they  parted  in  peace  and  amity, 
instead  of  in  hatred  and  strife.  Jacob's  eyes  were  opened 
somewhat  and  his  spirit  was  chastened.  He  realized  that 
without  God's  intervention  his  own  strength  would  have 
availed  little,  and  he  must  surely  have  perished.  It  was  a 
humble  and  thoughtful  man  who  journeyed  onward,  thankful 
that  he  had  escaped  this  danger  from  Laban,  and  had  parted 
from  him  in  friendship,  and  wondering  how  he  should  meet 
the  even  greater  danger,  which,  he  now  perceived,  must  con- 
front him  from  Esau.  Once  more  he  must  have  prayed  in 
the  deep  recesses  of  his  heart,  as  he  had  prayed  twenty 
years  before,  "If  God  will  be  with  me,  and  will  keep  me  in 
this  way  that  I  go".  Truly  he  had  need  of  God's  protec- 
tion now.  And  with  this  prayer  something  of  the  spirit  of 


Jacob  and  Laban  257 

humility  and  repentance  of  those  first  fourteen  years  must 
have  returned  to  him.  And  there  must  have  welled  forth 
the  additional  prayer,  the  longing  of  those  first  years, 
couched  in  the  Psalmist's  beautiful  words : 

Create  me  a  clean  heart,  O  God; 

And   renew   a   steadfast   spirit   within   me. 

So  Jacob  journeyed  on  to  meet  Esau. 

NOTES 

XXIX,  1.  "The  children  of  the  east",  i.  e.  nomads  or  semi- 
nomads,  dwelling  in  northern  Mesopotamia.  Laban's  tribe  is  evidently 
,  regarded  as  belonging  to  this  group. 

V.  2.  In  the  Orient,  particularly  in  the  desert  itself,  and  the 
country  bordering  on  the  desert,  water  is  scarce,  and  consequently 
very  precious.  Therefore  it  is  not  uncommon  that  wells  should  be 
covered,  as  this  one  was,  by  a  great  stone,  which  frequently  requires 
the  combined  efforts  of  many  men  to  move,  in  order  to  prevent  the 
water  from  being  used  by  strangers  or  those  not  entitled  to  it,  and 
also  to  keep  out  the  sand  and  other  things,  which  might  otherwise 
choke  the  well.  Whether  this  was  the  same  well  as  that  from  which 
Rebekah  had  drawn  the  water  for  the  camels  of  Abraham's  servant, 
is  not  stated.  Apparently,  however,  it  was  not,  since  that  well  seems 
to  have  been  approached  by  a  flight  of  steps  (cf.  note  to  XXIV,  16), 
while  the  water  of  this  well  was  drawn  up  by  buckets  in  the  hands 
of  the  shepherds  who  stood  at  the  mouth  of  the  well. 

V.  5.  XXII,  3  and  XXIV,  24  call  Rebekah  the  daughter  of 
Bethuel  and  the  granddaughter  of  Nahor.  Therefore  by  "son  of 
Nahor"  is  meant  presumably  only  "descendant". 

V.  7.  Sheep  were  usually  watered  toward  evening,  preparatory 
to  being  penned  up  for  the  night. 

V.  8.  Watering  many  flocks  of  sheep  from  one  well  is  a  slow 
task.  Therefore  the  verse  pictures  the  custom  of  these  shepherds  to 
assemble  still  early  in  the  afternoon.  It  is  also  customary  that  the 
first  shepherds  to  arrive  at  a  well,  water  their  flocks  first,  while  the 
late-comers  must  wait.  This  was  an  additional  reason  for  these 
shepherds  coming  early  to  the  well.  Cf.  Burckhardt,  Travels  in  Syria 
and  the  Holy  Land,  63. 

V.  9.  Among  the  nomad  Semites  girls  are  very  frequently  em- 
ployed as  shepherdesses,  particularly  of  the  flocks  of  their  own  fami- 
lies. 


258  The  Book  of  Genesis 

V.  10.  Jacob,  by  his  great  strength,  alone  rolls  away  the  huge 
stone.  This  usually  required  the  combined  efforts  of  all  the  shepherds. 

V.  11.  Among  the  Orientals  weeping  because  of  joy,  even  on  the 
part  of  men,  is  a  common  practice.  There  is  nothing  of  the  occi- 
dental conception  of  tears  as  unmanly. 

V.  12.  For  the  meaning  of  "brother"  here  and  in  v.  15,  cf.  the 
note  to  XXVII,  29. 

V.  13.  It  must  be  understood  that  this  was  the  first  word  which 
Laban  had  heard  of  his  sister  in  all  these  years  since  she  had  de- 
parted with  the  servant  of  Abraham.  Furthermore,  in  the  Orient 
blood  kinship  establishes  an  undeniable  bond  between  men.  Hence 
Laban's  joy  at  beholding  his  sister's  son.  It  is  a  common  practice  in 
the  Orient,  and  in  many  other  parts  of  the  world,  for  relatives  who 
have  not  seen  each  other  for  a  long  time,  regardless  of  sex,  to  kiss 
each,  other  upon  meeting. 

V.  17.  In  selecting  a  wife  in  the  Orient  especial  attention  is  paid 
to  beauty  of  the  eyes.  One  with  unprepossessing  eyes  would  not  be 
greatly  sought  after;  cf.  National  Geographic  Magazine,  March,  1914, 
170. 

V.  18.  Among  the  ancient  Semites,  as  among  so  many  other 
peoples,  girls  are  regarded  as  the  property  of  their  fathers,  and  must 
therefore  be  purchased  from  him  by  their  future  husbands.  Where 
the  latter  is  unable  to  pay  the  bride-price  demanded,  it  is  not  un- 
common for  him,  as  here,  to  pledge  his  services  to  his  father-in-law 
for  a  fixed  period  of  years,  usually  ifive  to  seven ;  cf.  National  Geo- 
graphic Magazine,  March,  1914,  295 f. ;  Musil,  Arabia  Petraea,  III,  284. 
A  most  interesting  and  illuminating  parallel  to  the  Jacob  story  is 
recorded  by  Burckhardt  (Travels  in  Syria  and  the  Holy  Land,  297 f.)  ; 
"I  once  met  with  a  young  man  who  had  served  eight  years  for  his 
food  only;  at  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  obtained  in  marriage 
trie  daughter  of  his  master,  for  whom  he  would,  otherwise,  have  had 
to  pay  seven  or  eight  hundred  piastres.  When  I  saw  him  he  had 
been  married  three  years ;  but  he  complained  bitterly  of  his  father-in- 
law,  who  continued  to  require  of  him  the  performance  of  the  most 
servile  offices,  without  paying  him  anything;  and  thus  prevented  him 
from  setting  up  for  himself  and  family".  (Cf.  also  ibid.  385.) 

As  a  rule  the  bride-price,  or  at  least  a  considerable  portion  there- 
of, is  given  by  the  father  to  his  daughter,  and  becomes  her  inalienable 
property.  But  if  the  father  be  avaricious,  he  frequently  retains  the 
entire  bride-price  for  himself.  XXXI,  ISf.  stated  that  Laban  was 
guilty  of  this  departure  from  common  and  approved  practice;  this 
enabled  Leah  and  Rachel  to  justify  Jacob's  possession  of  a  large 


Jacob  and  Laban  259 

part  of  their  father's  flocks,  by  the  implication  that  this  portion  of 
the  return  for  Jacob's  services  should  have  been  given  to  them. 

V.  19.  For  the  practice  of  marriage  between  cousins  cf.  the 
final  note  to  XXV. 

V.  26.  Among  many  peoples  in  various  parts  of  the  world,  the 
3rounger  daughter  may  not  be  given  in  marriage  before  her  older  sister. 
This  was  probably  an  actual  practice  in  Laban's  tribe,  and  not  merely 
a  plausible  excuse  invented  by  him  for  the  occasion,  and  in  order  to 
dispose  of  both  his  daughters  for  a  good  -price  and  at  one  stroke. 

V.  27.  In  the  Orient  marriage  festivities,  as  in  this  instance, 
generally  continue  for  an  entire  week.  Jacob  is  not  to  repudiate 
Leah,  but  is  to  complete  the  marriage  festivities  with  her  during  this 
week.  Then  next  week  Rachel  shall  be  given  to  him,  and  in  return 
for  her  he  shall  serve  a  further  term  of  seven  years.  Leah  was  given 
to  him  at  the  end  of  the  'first  period  of  seven  years,  and  Rachel  one 
week  later,  at  the  beginning  of  the  second  period.  According  to 
XXX,  25,  Joseph  was  born  to  Rachel  at  the  end  of  the  second  period 
of  seven  years ;  in  other  words  she  had  been  barren  for  six  years. 

V.  31.  Children  are  considered  in  the  Orient  as  a  gift  of  the 
Deity;  cf.  XXX,  2.  Numerous  offspring  therefore  imply  particular 
divine  favor;  cf.  I  Samuel  I  and  II,  21  and  Psalm  CXXVII,  3-5. 

V.  32.  In  ancient  Israel  it  was  the  mother's  privilege  to  name 
her  children;  cf.  IV,  1  and  25;  I  Samuel  I,  20.  Later  this  privilege 
passed  to  the  father;  cf.  V,  3;  XVI,  15.  Names  given  to  children 
were  generally  descriptive  of  some  thought  or  incident  attendant 
upon  their  birth;  cf.  I  Samuel  IV,  19-22. 

Sons  are  more  desired  than  daughters,  and  a  woman  who  has  borne 
a  son  can  reasonably  expect  better  treatment  and  greater  affection  on 
the  part  of  her  husband. 

XXX,  1.  With  Rachel's  desire  for  offspring  may  be  compared  that 
of  Hannah  (I  Samuel  I,  1-20).  In  the  Orient  a  childless-  wife  is 
liable  to  be  treated  in  time  with  little  regard,  and  may  even  be 
divorced.  The  desire,  therefore,  to  safeguard  her  position  in  the 
home,  as  well  as  the  Oriental  woman's  natural  and  unrepressed 
longing  for  offspring,  make  her  eagerly  desirous  of  a  large  family. 

V.  3.  Cf.  the  note  to  XVI.  The  child  born  to  a  handmaid,  when 
laid  upon  her  mistress'  knees,  was  regarded  as  formally  adopted  by 
the  latter,  and  as  actually  her  child. 

Vv.  14ff.  It  is  a  common  superstition  in  many  parts  of  the  earth 
that  mandrakes  possess  magical  properties,  conducive  to  the  promo- 
tion of  childbirth;  cf.  Hartland,  Primitive  Paternity,  I,  44-47. 


260  The  Book  of  Genesis 


The   Mandrake 

V.  27.  "I  have  observed  the  signs",  Hebrew,  nityashti,  i.  e.  "I 
have  ascertained  by  the  practice  of  ceremonies  of  divination". 

Vv.  32ff.  The  customary  wage  of  a  shepherd  in  the  Orient  is  a 
certain  percentage  of  the  newborn  lambs  or  kids.  Generally  this  is 
ten  percent,  half  male  and  half  female;  cf.  Musil,  Arabia  Petraca, 
III,  284,  and  Dalman,  Palaestinischcr  Diwan,  33f.  In  this  case  Jacob 
asked  for  what  would  prove  under  normal  conditions  less  than  the 
customary  wage,  and  Laban,  suspecting  nothing,  was  only  too  pleased 
to  accept  the  preferred  terms.  As  XXX,  38f.  implies,  the  shepherd 
was  expected  to  feed  himself  from  his  own  share  of  the  flock,  and 
I  to  restore  all  losses  incurred  by  theft  or  wild  beasts. 

Vv.  35-42.  The  account  of  Jacob's  trick  seems  to  us  obscure. 
But  we  must  remember  that  a  considerable  portion  of  the  people  of 
ancient  Israel,  particularly  in  the  southern  kingdom,  were  shepherds, 
who  would  both  understand  and  appreciate  the  cleverness  of  this 
trick.  Apparently  something  of  homeopathic  magic,  based  upon  the 
idea  that  like  invariably  causes  like,  lies,  at  the  bottom  of  this 
practice. 

XXXI,  7  implies  that  during  these  last  six  years  Laban,  seeing 
Jacob  growing  wealthy  by  the  terms  of  their  bargain,  had  deliberately 
and  faithlessly  repudiated  these  terms  and  offered  others,  seemingly 
more  advantageous  to  himself,  which,  however,  Jacob  knew  how  to 
turn  to  his  own  benefit.  He  represents  this,  half-deceitfully  at  least, 
as  being  the  result  of  God's  favor. 

Vv.  10-12.  These  verses  are  apparently  based  upon  a  slightly 
varying  version  of  Jacob's  trick,  which  must  have  been  current  in 
ancient  Israel  along  with  the  version  recorded  in  XXX,  35-42. 

V.  15.     Cf.   note   to   XXIX,    18. 


Jacob  and  Lab  an 


261 


Y.  19.  The  teraphim  were  the  family  or  household  gods  repre- 
sented in  the  form  of  idols.  They  varied  considerably  in  size.  These 
of  Laban  were  small  enough  to  be  put  in  the  pack-saddle  of  a  camel, 
upon  which  Rachel  sat,  while  I  Samuel  XIX,  13  speaks  of  such  an 
image  in  the  house  of  David,  which  was  approximately  of  human 
size  and  shape.  In  ancient  Israel  the  use  of  these  teraphim  seems  to 
have  been  common,  and  not  at  all  inconsistent  with  the  pure  worship 


Teraphim 

of  Israel's  God;  cf.  Judges  XVII;  XVIII,  14.  17,  18,  20;  I  Samuel 
XIX,  13;  Hosea  III,  4.  The  teraphim  were  apparently  employed  partic- 
ularly in  the  practice  of  divination;  cf.  Ezekiel  XXI,  26;  Zechariah  X, 
2.  Accordingly  the  rabbis  sought  to  excuse  Rachel's  theft,  by  saying 
that  she  took  the  tcraphim  because  she  feared  that  they  might  dis- 
close Jacob's  whereabouts  to  Laban.  Actually  the  story  gives  no 
motive  for  Rachel's  theft,  unless  it  be  that  suggested  in  the  lesson, 
to  prove  the  superiority  of  Jacob's  God  over  the  gods  of  Laban.  For 


262  The  Book  of  Genesis 

this  reason  probably  the  story  told  with  considerable  gusto  not  only 
that  Rachel  stole  these  gods,  which  were  powerless  to  defend  them- 
selves, but  also  that  she  even  subjected  them  to  the  greatest  possible 
indignity  by  sitting  upon  them.  In  time  the  use  of  teraphim  came 
to  be  regarded  as  inconsistent  with  the  pure  worship  of  God,  and 
was  prohibited  (II  Kings  XXIII,  24;  cf.  I  Samuel  XV,  23).  Cf. 
Jewish  Encyclopedia,  XII,  108f. 

V.  21.     "The  River",  i.  e.  the  Euphrates. 

V.  23.  "The  mountain  of  Gilead".  Gilead  was  the  common  name 
for  that  portion  of  Palestine  lying  east  of  the  Jordan  and  north  of 
the  Jabbok.  Its  actual  boundaries  seem  to  have  been  rather  un- 
certain, and  to  have  varied  at  different  times.  It  is  a  rough,  moun- 
tainous country.  Vv.  47f.  seem  to  offer  a  popular  tradition,  ascribing 
the  origin  of  the  name  Gilead  to  Jacob,  who  called  the  heap  of 
stones,  which  he  erected  on  the  boundary  line  between  Syria  and 
Gilead,  gal-ed  literally  "the  heap  of  the  witness". 

V.  24.  The  Aramaeans  were  an  important  branch  of  the  Semitic 
race,  and  closely  akin  to  the  Israelites.  The  kingdom  of  Damascus, 
or  Syria,  during  the  9th  and  8th  centuries  B.  C.  the  most  powerful 
and  dangerous  rival  of  the  northern  kingdom  of  Israel,  was  the  lead- 
ing Aramaean  state.  The  language  of  the  Aramaean  tribes  and 
states  consisted  of  a  great  many  closely  related  dialects.  After  the 
Babylonian  exile  Aramaic  gradually  superseded  Hebrew  as  the  ver- 
nacular of  the  Jewish  people.  Certain  portions  of  the  Bible,  viz. 
Jeremiah  X,  11,  Daniel  II,  4b-VII,  28,  and  Ezra  IV,  8-VI,  18  and 
VII,  12-26,  are  written  in  Aramaic,  as  are  likewise  considerable  por- 
tions of  rabbinic  literature. 

V.  33.  Each  of  Jacob's  wives  had  her  own  tent,  in  which  she 
lived  with  her  children.  Jacob,  of  course,  had  no  tent  of  his  own, 
but  abode  with  whichever  wife  he  chose.  As  XXX,  16  implies, 
this  was  usually  Rachel,  his  favorite. 

Vv.  38f.     Cf.  note  to  XXX,  32ff. 

V.  40.  In  certain  parts  of  the  Orient  during  considerable  por- 
tions of  the  year,  even  though  the  days  may  be  quite  hot,  the  nights 
are  frequently  cold,  and  frost  is  not  uncommon. 

Vv.  45ff.  The  custom  of  setting  up  a  memorial  stone  or  heap  of 
stones  as  the  permanent  reminder  of  a  covenant  or  of  some  memor- 
able event,  was  common  in  Semitic  practice ;  cf.  Doughty,  Arabia 
Deserta,  II,  538  and  Pierotti,  Customs  and  Traditions  of  Palestine, 
95f.  It  is  occasionally  mentioned  in  the  Bible;  cf.  Exodus  XXIV,  4; 
Joshua  IV,  3,  20-24;  XXIV,  26f. 


Jacob  and  Laban  263 

V.  46.  "And  they  did  eat  there  by  the  heap";  this  was  the  ritual 
meal  by  which  the  covenant  was  ratified ;  cf .  note  to  XXVI,  30. 

V.  47  Yegar-sahadutha  is  the  Aramaic  equivalent  of  the  Hebrew 
gal-ed. 

V.  48.  Mizfreh  is  apparently  represented  here  as  a  secondary 
name  of  this  heap  of  stones.  It  means  "watchpost",  or  "place  of 
lookout".  Actually  the  district  was  called  Gilead,  while  Mizpeh 
was  probably  the  name  of  the  particular  spot  in  Gilead  where  this 
covenant  between  Jacob  and  Laban,  was  thought  to  have  been  made. 
It  probably  lay  close  to  the  boundary  line  between  Syria  and  Gilead. 
As  was  suggested  in  the  introductory  chapter  to  the  Jacob  story,  this 
incident  of  the  covenant  made  between  Labarr  the  Aramaean  and 
Jacob  the  Israelite,  by  which  the  boundary  line  between  the  territories 
of  the  two  peoples  was  fixed,  may  very  well  be  based  upon  some 
historical  compact  of  similar  nature,  entered  into  between  Syria  and 
Israel,  most  probably  during  the  reign  of  Ahab  (875-854  B.  C). 
During  the  greater  part  of  Ahab's  reign  the  hegemony  of  Israel  in 
the  affairs  of  the  numerous  little  states  of  western  Asia  seems  to 
have  been  nominally  acknowledged  by  Syria ;  cf .  I  Kings  XX. 

V.  53.  "And  Jacob  swore  by  the  Fear  of  his  father  Isaac"; 
this  is  an  obscure  and  difficult  expression.  The  compilers  probably 
meant  to  designate  the  God  of  Israel  by  this  term.  Not  improbably, 
however,  in  the  pldest  version  of  this  story  the  actual  name  of  a 
(or  the)  Deity  stood  here,  and  the  compilers  substituted  the  present 
non-committal  expression  in  order  to  avoid  the  appearance  of  poly- 
theism. 

V.  54.  This  is  probably  a  repetition,  or  a  second  version,  of 
the  incident  of  the  covenant  meal,  already  referred  to  in  v.  46. 
Certain  forms  of  sacrifice  were  accompanied  by  a  ritual  meal  partici- 
pated in  by  the  sacrificer  and  his  guests, 


264  The  Book  of  Genesis 


XIX 

JACOB  AND   ESAU 
(Genesis  XXXII,  4— XXXIII,  17;  XXXV,  16-20,  27-29) 

Thy  name  shall  be  called  no  more  Jacob,  but  Israel;  for  thou  hast 
striven  with  God  and  with  men,  and  hast  prevailed.  (Genesis  XXXII, 
29.) 

The  sacrifices  of  God  are  a  broken  spirit; 

A  broken   and   a  contrite  heart,   O  God,   Thou   wilt  not   despise. 
(Psalm  LI,  19.) 

Read  Psalm  XLVI,  2,  3,  4,  12. 

Laban  had  departed.  He  had  kissed  his  daughters  and 
his  grand-children  farewell,  and  had  set  out  upon  his  return 
to  Haran.  Now,  at  last  Jacob  could  breathe  freely.  The 
danger  from  Laban  was  past;  they  had  parted  in  peace,  as 
alone  befitted  close  relatives.  Had  it  been  otherwise,  had 
Jacob  been  compelled  to  leave  his  uncle  Laban,  just  as  he 
had  left  his  brother  Esau  twenty  years  before,  with  anger 
and  enmity  between  them  as  the  result  of  his  deception,  he 
might  well  have  felt  that  these  twenty  years  of  trial  and 
suffering  in  a  foreign  land  had  been  all  in  vain,  and  that 
he  was  returning  home  but  little  changed  from  what  he  had 
been  on  setting  out.  His  prayer  then  had  been  to  return  in 
peace  to  his  father's  house.  He  realized  now  that  although 
Laban  had  deceived  him,  he,  too,  had  not  been  altogether 
blameless  in  his  dealings  with  Laban  during  these  last  six 
years.  But  their  differences  had  been  smoothed  away,  their 
quarrels  settled,  their  misunderstandings  adjusted ;  now  there 
was  peace  between  them,  the  peace  which  Jacob  had  learned 


Jacob   and  Esau  265 

to  regard  as  life's  greatest  blessing.  Now  he  stood  upon  the 
border  of  his  native  land,  prepared  to  enter  and  to  come 
to  his  father's  house.  It  was  the  moment  for  which  he  had 
prayed  and  longed.  Surely  Jacob  should  have  been  happy. 

But  Jacob  was  far  from  happy.  The  quarrel  with  Laban, 
so  narrowly  averted,  had  opened  his  eyes.  If  Laban  had 
been  so  enraged  at  having  been  deceived,  even  though  he 
had  himself  first  and  repeatedly  deceived  Jacob,  then  how 
much  more  reason  had  Esau,  so  cruelly  betrayed  and  de- 
frauded of  life's  dearest  blessings  by  his  own  brother,  to 
still  cherish  his  anger  and  to  seek  revenge!  Now  that  he 
had  escaped  Laban's  wrath,  and  the  inevitable  meeting  with 
Esau  drew  closer,  Jacob  realized  more  clearly  than  at  any 
time  previously  the  full  measure  and  import  of  the  wrong 
which  he  had  done  to  his  brother.  He  had  hoped  that  these 
twenty  years  might  have  allowed  Esau's  anger  to  cool;  or 
if  not,  that  he  might  appease  Esau  with  a  rich  present  of 
flocks  and  herds,  such  as  he  could  easily  spare  out  of  his 
great  abundance.  Now  he  suddenly  remembered  that  Esau 
was  not  of  a  forgiving  nature,  and,  above  all,  that  he  had 
ample  reason  for  hatred  and  revenge.  And  as  he  stood 
upon  the  border  of  the  home  land  fear  seized  him,  fear  of 
his  brother  and  his  anger,  but  even  more,  fear  of  himself 
and  his  sin.  In  this  connection  the  wise  rabbis  sagely  asked, 
why  should  Jacob  have  feared  so  greatly  before  Esau,  when 
he  did  not  fear  at  all  to  fight  the  angel,  or  whatever  it  was, 
throughout  the  entire  night?  And  they  answered  that  he 
feared  Esau  because  he  knew  how  greatly  he  had  wronged 
him.  So  we  always  fear  before  those  whom  we  have 
wronged.  And  the  rabbis  also  taught  that  before  a  man 
sins  everyone  fears  him ;  after  he  sins  he  fears  everyone. 
Thus,  as  the  great  poet  said,  "Conscience  doth  make  cow- 
ards of  us  all". 

But  this  very  fear  showed  Jacob's  real  nature  and  char- 
acter at  this  moment.  For  he  was  judging  Esau  entirely  by 


266  The  Book  of  Genesis 

himself.  He,  too,  had  been  deceived  by  Laban.  And  how 
had  he  requited  him?  Only  with  counter-deceit.  And  how 
much  worse  was  his  conduct  than  Laban's !  For  he  knew 
by  bitter  experience  what  deceit  meant.  Yet  if,  knowing 
all  this,  he  had  still  met  deceit  with  deceit,  why  expect  Esau 
to  act  at  all  differently?  Surely  he  dared  hope  for  naught 
but  hatred  and  revenge  from  Esau,  and  surely,  too,  he  de- 
served no  more.  Now,  too,  he  realized  how7  he  had  fallen 
short  in  his  dealings  with  Laban,  and  that  two  wrongs  never 
make  one  right ;  that  Laban's  deceit  had  probably  been  the 
last  trial  sent  by  God  to  determine  his  real  worth  and  the 
extent  of  his  self-purification.  Now  he  knew  that  he  had 
fallen  short.  And  if  he,  then  why  not  Esau  too?  What 
reason  had  he  to  expect  better  treatment  from  Esau  than 
he  had  accorded  to  Laban?  He  was  judging  Esau  only  by 
himself;  and  the  evil  light  in  which  he  now  saw  Esau,  was 
but  the  reflection  of,  the  light  in  which  he  saw  himself.  So 
it  is  constantly  with  us;  we  judge  our  neighbors  largely  by 
ourselves.  Often  the  faults  we  see  in  them  are  but  the  re- 
flection of  greater  faults  in  ourselves.  And  often  our  con- 
demnation of  our  neighbor  should  be  a  condemnation  of 
ourselves. 

So  Jacob  feared;  and  he  took  what  precautions  he  could, 
the  poor  precautions  which  his  fear  suggested.  He  sent 
messengers  to  Esau  to  announce  his  coming,  and,  if  possible, 
to  sound  Esau  and  bring  back  word  of  his  probable  reception 
of  Jacob.  In  all  likelihood  had  the  report  been  unfavorable, 
Jacob  would  still  have  turned  aside,  even  despite  God's  com- 
mand to  return,  and  His  promise  that  He  would  still  be 
with  him.  But  all  this  Esau  frustrated  by  coming  himself 
with  all  dispatch,  and  attended  by  four  hundred  men,  to 
meet  Jacob.  There  could  be  no  mistaking  his  evil  intentions. 
The  messengers  reported  all  this  but  little  before  Esau  him- 
self arrived.  It  was  too  late  for  Jacob  to  turn  aside.  He 
must  meet  Esau,  and  that  on  the  very  next  day. 


Jacob  and  Esau  267 

Now  even  more  did  Jacob  fear,  for  there  seemed  little 
chance  of  escape.  But  he  would  take  what  chance  there 
was.  Better  to  sacrifice  half  his  possessions,  than  that  every- 
thing be  lost.  So  he  divided  his  camp,  the  people  who  were 
with  him  and  the  flocks,  the  herds,  and  the  camels,  into  two 
camps,  so  that,  if  Esau  should  attack  the  one  camp,  the 
other  might  still  escape.  It  was  a  cunning  plan,  although 
even  it  seemed  to  offer  little  promise.  Nor  did  it  serve  to 
restore  Jacob's  confidence  or  lessen  his  fear. 

And  then,  suddenly,  he  bethought  himself  of  the  "one 
source  of  protection  and  help,  which  had  never  failed  him 
in  all  these  years  of  trial,  God.  During  the  last  six  years 
of  his  sojourn  with  Laban  he  had  come  to  rely  more  and 
more  upon  himself  and  his  own  strength  and  cunning,  and 
less  and  less  upon  God's  promise  to  be  with  him.  But  his 
narrow  escape  from  Laban's  wrath  had  made  him  realize 
once  again  what  he  had  almost  forgotten,  that  without  God 
human  strength  and  earthly  devices  avail  little.  Now,  in  this 
moment  of  greatest  peril,  when  it  seemed  that  his  clever 
plans  had  come  to  naught,  he  turned  to  God  with  a  prayer 
of  humility  and  supplication,  acknowledging  his  unworthi- 
ness  of  all  God's  guidance  and  bounty,  and  imploring  His 
help  and  protection  against  Esau. 

How  typical  is  Jacob's  conduct !  We  are  all  too  prone 
to  commit  the  very  error  against  which  the  Bible  warns,  and 
to  say  in  prosperity,  "My  power  and  the  might  of  my  hand 
have  gotten  me  this  wealth"  (Deuteronomy  VIII,  17f.). 
But  when  distress  and  danger  confront  us,  and  all  earthly 
help  seems  weak  and  futile,  then  we,  too,  become  mindful 
of  God,  and  we  turn  to  Him,  as  Jacob  did,  with  prayers  of 
humility  and  supplication.  It  is  not  too  late;  it  is  never  too 
late  for  prayer,  for  we  may  be  sure  that  God  hears  all 
prayers,  when  offered  in  sincerity  of  heart  and  purity  of 
motive.  As  the  Psalmist  says, 


268  The  Book  of  Genesis 

God  is  our  refuge  and  strength, 

A  very  present  help  in  trouble. 

Therefore  will  we  not  fear,  though  the  earth  do  change, 

And  though  the  mountains  be  moved  into  the  heart  of  the  seas. 

And  as  the  rabbis  told,  the  gates  of  heaven  are  constantly 
opened  wide,  that  the  prayers  of  those  who  seek  Him  truly 
may  come  unto  God. 

The  pity  of  it  is  that  many  pray  so  little,  and  that  most 
of  us  turn  to  God  only  in  moments  of  need,  peril  and  dis- 
tress. We  have  so  much  for  which  to  thank  God  and  to 
utter  His  praise.  Day  by  day  and  hour  by  hour  our  lives 
are  enriched  with  His  bounties.  And  surely  it  were  not 
too  much  if  every  day  we  would  turn  to  God  to  thank  Him 
for  all  His  boundless  love,  and,  even  as  Jacob  did,  to  ac- 
knowledge our  littleness  and  unworthiness,  and  to  pray  to 
Him  for  help  and  strength  and  wisdom,  that  we  may  use  all 
His  precious  gifts  aright,  for  the  purpose  for  which  He 
gives  them.  So  our  fathers  prayed  in  ages  past.  Thrice 
daily  they  acknowledged  God's  greatness  and  besought  the 
continuance  of  His  favor.  And  their  prayers  and  their  faith 
in  God  kept  them  and  kept  Judaism  alive.  Verily  their  ex- 
ample should  inspire  us,  their  children,  to  like  faith  and 
devotion. 

So  Jacob  prayed.  But  even  prayer  alone  is  not  enough. 
Prayer  must  lead  to  renewed  faith  and  nobility  of  action. 
Some  prayer  is  actuated1  chiefly  by  selfish  fear,  or  equally 
selfish  desire,  and  springs  from  the  lips  rather  than  from 
the  heart.  But  the  true  prayer,  which  is  most  pleasing  to 
God,  is  that  prayer  which  wells  forth  from  the  depths  of  a 
trusting,  God-seeking  soul,  and  brings  with  it  that  strength 
of  faith  and  exaltation  of  purpose,  which  find  their  only 
expression  in  right  and  noble  living.  Was  Jacob's  an  al- 
together true  prayer?  He  had  uttered  beautiful  words  and 
noble  sentiments,  and  had  properly  acknowledged  God's 
greatness  and  goodness  and  his  own  unworthiness.  But 


Jacob  and  Esau  269 

instead  of  the  absolute  trust  in  God,  which  should  have 
followed  upon  this  prayer,  and  unshaken  reliance  upon  God's 
promise  to  be  with  him  and  bring  him  back  to  his  kindred 
and  his  father's  house,  Jacob  now  resumed  his  cunning 
plans  for  his  own  defense.  It  would  seem  that  beautiful 
though  this  prayer  was,  and  true  in  every  word,  it  was 
still  of  the  lips  rather  than  of  the  heart,  and  was  born  more 
of  fear  of  Esau  than  of  love  of  God  and  firm  faith  in  Him. 
It  would  almost  seem  as  if  Jacob  had  thought,  "If  God  can 
and  will  save  me  from  this  dire  peril,  well  and  good ;  but 
if  not,  then  all  the  more  must  I  spare  no  effort  to  save 
myself". 

Then  followed  an  anxious  night.  Redoubled  preparations 
were  made  to  meet  Esau  the  next  morning.  A  rich  present 
was  sent  on  in  advance,  with  the  hope  that  Esau's  anger 
might  possibly  be  appeased  with  this.  Then  Jacob's  wives 
and  children  were  set  across  the  stream,  that  they  might 
be  the  first  to  meet  Esau  in  the  morning,  and  that  the  sight 
of  these  weak  and  suppliant  beings,  his  own  flesh  and  blood, 
might  help  to  still  Esau's  anger.  Jacob  himself  remained  on 
this  side  of  the  stream.  He  would  cross  only  at  the  very 
last  moment;  possibly  he  might  still  turn  back  and  flee; 
without  sheep  and  cattle,  wives  and  children  to  hinder  him, 
he  might  still  escape.  True,  it  would  mean  setting  out  on 
his  lonesome  journey  anew,  just  as  twenty  years  before. 
Even  worse,  now  he  would  have  no  place  whither  he  might 
turn;  and  surely  God  would  no  longer  be  with  him.  But 
at  least  he  would  be  safe  from  Esau's  wrath.  Such  must 
have  been  the  thoughts  which  thronged  Jacob's  guilt-laden 
mind  throughout  this  long  night.  For  the  moment  he  was 
completely  the  old,  crafty,  self-centered  Jacob  once  more. 
He  had  expected  that  on  this  one  last  night  at  least,  he 
would  be  safe,  and  would  find  rest  and  comfort.  But  there 
were  no  rest  and  comfort  for  him.  As  the  Bible  says,  all 
through  that  night  there  wrestled  with  him,  someone  or 


270  The  Book  of  Genesis 

something.  The  Bible  calls  it  a  man;  but  this  may  be  for 
want  of  a  better  term.  Tradition  has  come  to  call  it  an 
angel  (cf.  Hosea  XII,  5),  and  perhaps  it  was  that.  But 
if  so,  the  story  in  Genesis  gives  no  hint  thereof.  We  know 
only  that  it  was  something  powerful  and  eager  to  conquer. 
Yet  it  could  be  conquered,  too ;  by  morning  dawn  it"  could 
be  overcome.  And  if  once  overcome,  it  could-  be  made  to 
bestow  blessing.  What  could  it  have  been? 

May  we  not  say  that  it  was  Jacob's  other  self,  his  wicked, 
selfish,  earthly  nature,  with  which  he  strove  during  the 
entire  night?  We  have  learned  that  man  is  the  child  of 
two  worlds,  of  earth  and  heaven.  His  body  is  of  the  dust, 
but  his  spirit  is  inbreathed  by  God  Himself.  Ever  these 
two  natures  strive  within  him  for  the  mastery,  until  at  last 
one  is  completely  conquered.  All  through  Jacob's  life  they 
had  striven.  At  first,  in  his  early  years,  the  earthly  nature, 
which  seeks  for  selfish  pleasure  and  gain  had  had  the  upper 
hand,  and  it  seemed  as  if  the  godlike  spirit  within  were  com- 
pletely crushed.  But  we  know  that  it  was  not  dead,  but 
was  only  sleeping.  Then  throughout  these  twenty  long  years 
the  two  natures  had  striven  earnestly.  At  first  it  had  seemed 
as  if  the  divine  element  would  triumph.  But  in  these  last 
six  years  once  more  the  earthly  nature  had  gained  the  upper 
hand.  Now  had  come  the  moment  of  the  last  and  most 
bitter  struggle,  when  complete  and  final  victory  or  defeat 
must  come  for  one  or  the  other.  All  through  the  night  the 
earthly,  selfish  nature  kept  whispering,  "Flee  now;  leave 
the  sheep  and  cattle  to  Esau ;  leave  the  wives  and  children 
to  their  fate;  better  that  they  alone  perish,  than  that  thou 
perish  with  them.  Perhaps  thou  canst  still  find  rest  and 
peace  in  some  other  land.  And  perhaps  thou  wilt  in  time 
be  able  to  avenge  thyself  upon  Esau.  He  is  a  villain,  and 
thou  canst  expect  no  good  at  his  hands".  But  to  all  this 
the  divine  voice  within  kept  answering  in  ever  stronger 
accents,  "They  are  thy  wives  and  thy  children,  and  they  look 


Jacob   and  Esau  271 

to  thee  for  help  and  protection,  and  thou  mayest  not  desert 
them.  And  after  all,  without  them  what  would  life  be 
worth?  Hast  thou  not  already  betrayed  and  sacrificed  thy 
family  enough,  and  only  suffered  thereby?  Remember,  Esau 
is  thy  brother,  and  even  as  thou  dost  still  love  him,  and 
seek  peace  with  him,  so  he,  too,  may  still  love  thee  and  long 
to  forgive  thee.  Remember,  too,  that  it  was  thou  who  didst 
wrong  him,  and  therefore  it  must  be  thou  who  dost  ask 
pardon ;  without  pardon  there  can  be  no  peace.  And  con- 
sider that  thou  hast  come  hither  at  God's  command,  and 
that  He  has  promised  to  be  with  thee  still,  as  He  was  with 
thee  during  these  twenty  years  past.  And  thou  mayest  not 
disobey.  And  above  all,  think  that  thine  is  the  birthright  of 
Abraham  and  of  Isaac,  thy  father;  thou  art  charged  to 
become  a  blessing  unto  mankind.  This  birthright  thou  didst 
eagerly  desire  for  thyself,  and  win  at  great  cost.  But  never 
canst  thou  be  worthy  of  it,  never  canst  thou  become  a 
blessing,  if  thou  dost  flee  as  a  coward  and  shirk  thy  re- 
sponsibilities. At  the  most,  thou  canst  but  die,  but  never 
canst  thou  escape  or  flee  from  God's  commands". 

All  through  the  night  the  battle  raged.  Time  and  again 
the  tempter  seemed  almost  to  conquer ;  ever  and  again  Jacob 
was  on  the  point  of  fleeing.  But  always  something  held 
him  back;  now  it  was  the  memory  of  father  and  mother, 
now  of  wives  and  children,  now  of  God's  promise,  and  the 
realization  that  God  had  truly  been  with  him  these  twenty 
years,  and  had  suffered  no  word  of  His  to  go  unfulfilled. 
All  through  the  long,  dark  night  the  battle  raged.  But  with 
the  morning  da^wn  came  victory,  victory  and  blessing.  "Thy 
name  shall  be  called  no  more  Jacob,  but  Israel ;  for  thou 
hast  striven  with  God  and  with  men,  and  hast  prevailed". 
With  this  earthly  nature,  to  the  voice  of  which  men  so  often 
hearken,  Jacob  had  striven  during  these  twenty  years,  and 
particularly  during  this  last  night,  and  it  had  not  prevailed; 
he  had  conquered  it.  With  the  divine  voice  within,  the  voice 


272  The  Book  of  Genesis 

of  God,  Jacob  had  striven,  too,  and  at  last,  after  a  bitter 
struggle,  it  had  prevailed.  He  had  entered  upon  the  struggle 
twenty  years  before,  a  selfish,  deceitful,  young  man.  Now 
he  emerged  from  it,  purified,  noble,  victorious,  but  also  old, 
wearied  and  limping;  yet  erect  and  happy  withal.  He  was 
a  different,  a  new,  a  better  man ;  and  as  symbol  thereof  came 
the  new  name;  no  longer  Jacob,  "the  Deceiver",  but  Israel, 
"the  Champion  of  God",  who  was  henceforth  to  fight  the 
battles  of  the  Lord,  and  become  a  blessing  unto  all  mankind. 

Jacob's  struggle,  too,  is  typical.  Almost  from  the  very 
moment  of  birth  the  two  natures  within  us  strive  for  the 
mastery.  In  youth  especially  we  are  apt  to  lend  a  willing 
ear  to  the  seductive  whisperings  of  our  earthly  nature,  and 
allow  it  to  prevail.  But  to  most  of  us  maturity,  experience, 
and  wisdom  bring  the  awakening,  when  we  become  con- 
scious of  the  deeper  meaning  and  possibilities  of  life,  when 
we  come  to  understand  that  God  has  put  us  here  on  earth, 
not  for  the  satisfaction  of  our  appetites  and  pursuit  after 
the  will-o'-the-wisps  of  pleasure,  but  that  we  may  live 
among  our  fellowmen,  and  by  the  right  use  of  the  powers 
and  gifts  which  God  bestows  upon  us  in  such  boundless 
measure,  help  the  world  to  grow  better  and  mankind  to  live 
wiser,  nobler,  and  happier  lives. 

Some  awaken  only  to  slumber  again,  and  to  let  the  world 
take  its  course,  so  long  as  it  does  not  interfere  with  their 
own  selfish  desires.  For  them  there  is  no  struggle.  They 
are  conquered  even  before  the  combat  can  begin;  and  they 
must  remain  ever  creatures  of  the  dust,  over  whom  the 
earthly  nature  has  triumphed,  and  within  whom  the  spirit 
of  God  is  dead. 

But  others  awake,  and  remain  awake,  throughout  the 
long,  dark  night,  while  the  battle  rages,  the  battle  with  the 
other  self.  At  first  one  combatant  seems  about  to  prevail, 
and  then  the  other.  The  better  nature  may  gain  the  upper 
hand  for  awhile,  even  as  with  Jacob  during  the. first  four- 


Jacob   and   Esau  273 

lecn  years,  only  to  succumb  in  the  end.  There  is  no  assur- 
ance that  good  will  triumph  of  itself.  It  must  be  backed 
by  unfailing  trust  in  God,  and  strength  of  will  and  determi- 
nation for  the  right,  which  endure  for  all  time  and  under 
all  circumstances,  which  can  withstand  the  allurements  of 
fortune  and  prosperity  and  smug  self-complacency,  as  well 
as  the  discouragements  of  adversity  and  failure  and  self- 
condemnation.  But  when  the  faith  be  firm,  the  courage 
dauntless  and  the  will  steadfast,  then  victory  is  assured  in 
the  end.  And  with  the  first  ray  of  the  dawn,  which  heralds 
our  new  day,  we  step  forth  from  the  combat,  changed  men, 
blessed  by  the  very  evil  powers  with  which  we  have  striven, 
no  longer  the  old  Jacob,  but  now  the  new  Israel,  God's 
champion. 

Yet  we  never  emerge  unscathed.  The  battle  is  too  long 
and  hard  and  exacting.  Some  of  our  strength  is  sapped, 
some  of  our  vigor  is  abated,  some  of  our  youth  is  fled ;  if 
is  the  inevitable  price  of  experience  and  wisdom;  and  we 
limp  upon  the  thigh  as  we  go ;  for  this  battle,  too,  must 
leave  its  wounds  and  scars.  And  if  thereafter  we  go  for- 
ward more  slowly  upon  the  course  of  life,  which  leads 
toward  the  goal  of  existence  which  God  has  appointed  for 
each  of  us,  and  if  we  limp,  and  at  times  even  halt  and  falter, 
still  it  is  all  in  accordance  with  God's  plan,  and  we  can  only 
continue  to  push  on  as  best  we  may..  After  all,  as  the  Bible 
so  wisely  says,  "the  race  is  not  always  to  the  swift"  (Ec- 
clesiastes  IX,  11)  ;  and  he  who  limps  in  God's  service  will 
attain  the  goal  of  life  more  surely  and  speedily  than  he  who 
runs  after  evil.  True  living  consists  in  striving  rather  than 
in  attaining,  in  fighting  bravely  and  manfully  throughout  the 
long,  dark  hours  of  the  night  against  the  powers  of  evil 
which  seek  to  conquer  and  submerge  mankind,  and  in  con- 
quering just  as  the  dawn  breaks.  Victory  over  evil  can  not 
be  gained  in  the  darkness  of  the  night.  Evil  is  the  child  of 
night,  and  lives  and  grows  ever  stronger  in  the  black  shad- 


274  The  Book  of  Genesis 

ows.  It  is  only  the  radiant,  illuminating,  searching  light  of 
day  which  it  can  not  withstand,  before  which  it  must  flee  and 
vanish.  The  battle  must  endure  through  all  the  long  night. 
Victory  is  but  the  crowning  triumph  of  a  single,  final  mo- 
ment. True  existence  means  to  strive  steadfastly  with  God 
and 'with  men  for  the  right,  and  with  the  morning  dawn, 
which  marks  the  close  of  life's  struggle,  even  while  it  ushers 
in  the  new  day  of  radiant,  eternal  light,  to  step  forth  vic- 
toriously as  Israel,  "the  Champion  of  God",  to  receive  God's 
blessing,  and  to  return  in  peace  to  the  Father's  house.  This 
is  the  true  life  of  struggle  and  of  service,  which  God,  in  His 
wisdom  and  love,  has  bidden  each  one  of  His  children  to  live. 
So  with  the  dawn  Jacob  became  a  new  man.  Jacob,  "the 
Deceiver",  was  gone  forever;  Israel,  "the  Champion  of  God", 
had  taken  his  place.  And  he  crossed  the  river  to  rejoin  his 
family  and  to  meet  his  brother,  however  he  might  receive 
him.  There  would  be  no  more  fear  nor  deceit,  nor  unworthy 
attempts  to  appease  his  brother's  just  anger.  He  would  sub- 
mit himself  to  Esau  and  accept  whatever  punishment  the 
latter  might  inflict.  So  he  went  to  meet  his  brother,  no 
longer  fearful,  but  humble  and  repentant.  And  imagine  his 
surprise  when  Esau,  in  turn,  ran  to  meet  him  and  threw  his 
arms  around  his  neck  and  kissed  him.  It  was  so  much 
more  than  he  dared  expect  that  he  could  not  but  see  God's 
hand  in  it.  And  we  may  be  sure  that  God's  hand  was  in 
it.  But  we  may  be  sure,  too,  that  it  was  Jacob  himself, 
above  all  else,  who  had  brought  about  the  change  in  Esau. 
In  all  likelihod  Esau  had  come  with  his  four  hundred  men 
to  seek  revenge.  He,  too,  could  picture  Jacob  only  as  the 
deceiver  of  twenty  years  before.  But  when  Jacob  approached 
humbly  and  submissively,  his  anger  was  disarmed;  he  forgot 
all,  save  that  this  was  his  brother,  with  whom  he  had  grown 
up  as  a  child,  and  whom,  he  now  acknowledged,  he  had 
missed  during  these  twenty  years,  and  whom  deep  down  in 
his  heart  he  still  loved.  Anger  and  revenge  were  forgotten 


Jacob   and  Esau  275 

in  a  moment,  and  peace  and  happiness  were  restored  between 
them. 

So  at  last  Jacob's  sin  was  forgiven,  not  only  by  Esau, 
but  also  by  God,  just  because,  as  the  wise  rabbis  taught, 
Jacob  had  done  all  he  could  to  right  his  wrong,  and  had  at 
last  obtained  Esau's  pardon.  Then  God,  too,  was  free  to 
forgive.  The  hardest  thing  in  the  world  is  to  acknowledge 
that  we  have  done  wrong  and  to  ask  pardon.  Yet,  strangely 
enough,  it  is  the  one  thing  which  shows  a  truly  great  nature, 
and  which  is  certain  to  abate  anger  and  bring  peace.  If  only 
people  were  quicker  to  acknowledge  their  sins  and  seek  for- 
giveness, surely  men  would  be  nobler,  and  this  world  would 
be  a  better  and  happier  place  to  live  in. 

Thus  Jacob  became  a  true  man  at  last,  worthy  of  the 
birthright  and  of  God's  love  and  blessing.  And  at  last,  as 
he  had  prayed,  he  returned  in  peace  to  his  father's  house. 
It  must  have  been  a  joyful  as  well  as  a  sad  home  coming; 
sad  because  of  the  absence  of  "the  beloved  mother,  who  had 
made  such  a  great  sacrifice  for  him,  as  he  now  realized,  and 
whom  he  could  never  repay ;  but  happy  to  find  his  old 
father  still  alive,  and  to  be  able  to  recompense  him  somewhat 
for  the  great  wrong  done  to  him.  We  can  picture  Jacob 
now  a  loving,  dutiful  son,  seeking  only  to  bring  happiness 
to  his  old  father.  And  Isaac  must  have  been  truly  happy 
in  his  last  years.  At  last  Isaac  was  gathered  to  his  fathers 
in  a  ripe  old  age,  and  was  laid  to  rest  by  his  two  sons, 
Jacob  and  Esau,  in  the  Cave  of  Machpelah,  at  the  side  of 
the  companion  of  his  life  and  his  love,  Rebekah. 

But  Jacob  lived  on  for  many  years,  purified  and  ennobled, 
doing  the  will  of  God,  working  blessing  in  every  way  he 
could,  and  living  worthy  of  the  birthright  of  his  fathers. 
We  have  heard  much  in  these  lessons  of  repentance,  and  of 
people  who  did  not  repent,  and  therefore  had  to  suffer  the 
inevitable  consequences  of  their  sins.  Now  we  have  come 
to  know  one  who  truly  repented ;  and  we  realize  all  that 


276  The  Book  of  Genesis 

repentance  means,  and  that,  even  though  it  be  difficult  and 
exacting,  it  is  not  beyond  human  strength.  And  we  under- 
stand fully  the  words  of  the  Psalmist, 

The  sacrifices  of  God  are  a  broken  spirit; 

A  broken  and  a  contrite  heart,  O  God,  thou  wilt  not  despise. 

Such  a  spirit  and  such  a  heart  were  Jacob's,  and  we  know 
that  his  sacrifice  was  acceptable  to  the  Lord,  and  that  his 
repentance  was  true .  and  lasting.  And  we  understand,  too, 
the  words  of  the  wise,  old  rabbi,  "Who  is  a  hero?  He  who 
conquereth  his  own  evil  inclinations". 

In  thinking  of  Jacob's  entire  life,  and  of  repentance  and 
all  that  it  means,  and  how  alone  God's  forgiveness  can  be 
attained,  we  are  reminded  of  a  beautiful  story,  which  used 
to  be  told  by  the  rabbis.  A  certain  man,  EHezer  ben  Dordeja 
by  name,  had  sinned  greatly.  Throughout  his  life  he  had 
committed  sins  without  number,  nor  even  once,  had  felt  the 
slightest  compunction  or  fear  before  God.  But  one  day  an 
old  woman  said  to  him,  "EHezer  ben  Dordeja,  thy  wicked- 
ness is  great,  and  thy  sins  are  without  number;  never  canst 
thou  find  pardon  or  work  atonement;  thou  art  hopelessly 
lost,  and  condemned  by  God  to  eternal  punishment".  With 
that  terror  seized  upon  EHezer  ben  Dordeja.  Suddenly  he 
realized  the  magnitude  of  his  offense  and  his  utter  hopeless- 
ness. Immediately  the  desire  to  sin  left  him  completely, 
and  only  the  desire  to  atone  remained.  But  how  might  he 
atone;  he  understood  nothing  about  this.  In  despair  he  fled 
out  into  the  wilderness.  There  he  beheld  the  mountains 
towering  above  him  until  their  tops  seemed  to  penetrate  into 
God's  very  heaven.  He  sank  down  at  their  feet  and  prayed, 
"Ye  mountains  and  hills,  forgive  my  transgressions  and  seek 
pardon  for  me  from  God".  But  the  mountains  sadly  an- 
swered, "Rather  than  seek  pardon  for  thee  must  we  implore 
mercy  for  ourselves  from  the  Creator".  Then  EHezer  wrung 
his  hands,  and  in  despair  he  raised  his  eyes  aloft  to  heaven. 


Jacob   and  JSsau  277 

"O  ye  heavens  so  high,  the  dwelling-place  of  God",  he  whis- 
pered, "do  you  implore  pardon  for  me".  But  the  heavens, 
too,  answered,  "Nay,  for  thee  may  we  not  implore  pardon; 
for  ourselves  must  we  seek  God's  favor".  Then  Eliezer 
turned  to  the  sun  and  moon.  "Ye  orbs  of  heaven,  which 
give  light  and  blessing  to  men",  he  prayed,  "seek  pardon 
for  me  of  the  Lord".  But  they,  too,  answered,  "Nay,  only 
for  ourselves  alone  may  we  seek  pardon".  Then  Eliezer 
understood,  and  to  himself  he  said,  "I  know  that  each  must 
seek  pardon  for  himself  of  God,  the  Creator  of  all.  Per- 
haps He,  in  His  love,  will  still  hearken  to  my  prayer,  sinner 
though  I  am".  So  he  sat  down  upon  the  ground,  with  head 
bowed  between  his  knees,  and  humbly  he  prayed  to  God. 
Long  he  sat,  with  broken  and  contrite  heart,  never  moving 
nor  stirring,  but  with  thoughts  turned  ever  to  God  and  with 
unutterable  longing  filling  his  heart.  At  last  his  soul  passed 
from  his  body.  But  even  in  that  moment  a  voice  was  heard 
from  heaven  above,  resounding  throughout  the  world,  "Eli- 
ezer ben  Dordeja  is  reconciled  to  his  God;  his  sins  are  for- 
given, and  he  is  called  to  eternal  life  with  his  Father  in 
heaven".  Such  is  true  repentance,  and  only  so  may  God's 
pardon  be  at  last  attained. 

NOTES 

XXXII,  4.  This  verse  makes  Esau  dwell  far  to  the  south  in  the 
land  of  Edom,  the  land  of  his  traditional  descendants,  the  Edomites. 
The  story  would  have  been  more  dramatically  complete  and  perfect, 
had  it  told  that  Esau  and  Jacob  dwelt  together  at  home  with  their 
father.  But  as  was  stated  in  the  introductory  chapter,  actual  historical 
conditions  forbade  this. 

V.  23.  The  Jabbok  is  a  small  stream  which  rises  in  the  moun- 
tains of  Gilead,  east  of  the  Jordan,  flows  westward,  and  empties  into 
the  Jordan.  Its  current  is  very  swift.  During  the  greater  part  of 
its  course  it  flows  through  a  deep  and  narrow  valley,  with  steep, 
precipitous  sides.  It  is  therefore  quite  an  undertaking  to  cross  this 
stream  at  any  time.  In  this  case  this  was  all  the  more  difficult,  be- 
cause Jacob  had  to  transport  his  entire  camp  over  the  river,  and 


278 


The  Book  of  Genesis 


that  at  night.  Peniel  was  apparently  situated  at  or  near  this  stream. 
The  exact  site,  however,  is  not  known. 

Vv.  31  f.  are  not  an  integral  part  of  the  story,  but  rather  an 
editorial  note  explaining  the  name  of  the  place  where  the  struggle 
is  supposed  to  have  taken  place.  Peniel,  "face  of  God".  According 
to  the  common  belief  in  ancient  Israel,  no  mortal  could  behold  God's 
face  and  live;  cf.  Exodus  XXXIII,  20.  Peniel  (also  called  Penuel), 
was  one  of  the  two  towns  east  of  the  Jordan  which  was  destroyed 
by  Gideon  because  it  had  refused  to  aid  him  in  his  pursuit  of  the 
Midianites  (Judges  VIII,  8f.  and  17). 

V.  33.  For  the  origin  and  meaning  of  this  strange  rite,  cf.  above, 
p.  201. 

XXXIII,  3.  Bowing  to  the  ground  seven  times  shows  the  degree 
of  Jacob's  humility  before  Esau. 

V.  10.  Ordinarily  mortals  might  not  look  upon  the  face  of  a 
deity  (cf.  XXXII,  31;  Exodus  XXXIII,  20).  To  be  permitted  to  do 
so  was  a  mark  of  divine  favor  (cf.  Exodus  XXIV,  9-11)  ;  hence  the 
comparison  here. 

V.  17  is  also  an  editorial  note,  inserted  to  account  for  the  tradi- 
tional origin  of  the  name  Succoth,  "booths",  the  other  town  east 
of  the  Jordan  destroyed  by  Gideon  (Judges  VIII,  5-7,  14-16). 


Jacob's   Well   as   Seen   Today 


Jacob   and  Esau  279 

XXXIII,  18-XXXV,  5.  As  was  stated  in  the  introductory  chapter, 
this  whole  episode  of  Jacob  at  Shechem  is  hardly  an  integral  part 
of  the  Jacob  story  as  prepared  by  the  compilers.  The  tradition  may 
have  some  historical  basis  in  an  actual  attack  upon  the  important 
and  powerful  Canaanite  city  of  Shechem  by  the  tribes  of  Simeon 
and  Levi,  acting  conjointly,  in  early  prehistoric  days.  An  echo  of 
this  may  be  found  in  XLIX,  5-8.  In  its  present  form  the  whole 
story  is  obscure  and  difficult. 

XXXV,  4.  This  incident  of  the  burial  of  the  foreign  idols  is 
likewise  obscure.  Tradition  maintains  that  these  idols  were  the 
teraphim  of  Laban,  which  Rachel  had  stolen  and  kept  until  now. 
This  is,  however,  only  a  conjecture.  Probably  the  verse  means  to 
imply  that  the  servants  of  Jacob  had  brought  with  them  from  their 
home  land  their  own  household  gods.  Jacob  now  compels  them  to 
give  these  up  and  accept  the  worship  of  the  God  of  Israel. 

Earrings  were,  and  still  are,  worn  in  the  Orient  as  amulets  or 
charms  against  evil.  In  ancient  times  they  had  ritual  significance ; 
cf.  Judges  VIII,  24-27. 

V.  8.  The  mention  here  of  Deborah,  Rebekah's  nurse,  is  a  notable 
anachronism.  For  she  could  have  been  with  Jacob's  camp  only  if  she 
had  set  out  with  him  from  his  father's  house  twenty  years  before 
(cf.  XXIV,  59).  But  according  to  XXVIII,  lOff.  Jacob  was  entirely 
alone  upon  this  journey.  There  is  undoubtedly  confusion  between 
this  tradition  of  the  great  tree  near  Bethel,  sacred,  or  at  least  re- 
nowned, because  of  its  association  with  a  certain  Deborah,  and  the 
tradition  recorded  in  Judges  IV,  5  of  the  sacred  "palm-tree  of 
Deborah",  also  located  near  Bethel,  so-called  because  Deborah,  the 
prophetess,  was  supposed  to  have  sat  beneath  it,  while  revealing  the 
oracle  to  Israel.  It  is  clear  that,  as  was  stated  in  the  introduction, 
this  chapter,  as  well  as  the  two  preceding  chapters,  contains  a  brief 
summary  of  various  Jacob  traditions,  not  a  part  of  the  main  Jacob 
story. 

Vv.  9-15.  These  verses  contain  a  late,  artificial  version  of  the 
two  incidents  of  Jacob  at  Bethel  (XXVIII,  10-22)  and  of  the  change 
of  his  name  to  Israel  (XXXIII,  23-33). 

V.  19.  There  is  considerable  confusion  as  to  the  exact  location 
of  Rachel's  tomb.  Bethel  is  situated  north  of  Jerusalem  upon  the 
border  line  between  Ephraim  and  Benjamin.  Ephrath  must  be  near 
by.  This  is  borne  out  by  I  Samuel  I,  1,  which  calls  Elkanah,  who 


280 


The  Book  of 


Rachel's  Tomb 


Jacob  and  Esau 

came  from  Ramah,  upon  the  western  border  of  Ephraim,  an  Ephra- 
thite.  Likewise  Jeremiah  XXXI,  15  locates  the  grave  of  Rachel  at 
Ramah  as  does  also  I  Samuel  X,  2.  This,  however,  accords  but  ill 
with  the  statement  of  v.  19,  that  Ephrath  was  merely  another  name 
for  Bethlehem,  an  important  city  six  miles  south  of  Jerusalem,  and 
which  would  accordingly  locate  the  burial-place  of  Rachel  in  the 
vicinity  of  this  town.  The  solution  of  this  difficulty  is  that  there 
were  probably  in  ancient  Israel  two  places  called  Ephrath,  one  be- 
tween Bethel  and  Ramah,  and  the  other  Bethlehem  itself.  The  real 
burial-place  of  Rachel  was  near  the  former  place.  V  19  therefore 
records  a  mistaken  tradition,  due  to  confusing  Bethlehem-Ephrath 
(cf.  Micah  V,  1)  with  the  more  northern  Ephrath. 

V.  27.  Mamre  was  the  name  of  the  grove  near  Hebron  where 
Abraham  had  dwelt  (XIII,  18).  This  verse  does  not  agree  alto- 
gether with  previous  passages,  which  represent  Isaac  as  dwelling,  not 
at  Mamre,  but  at  Beer-sheba  (XXVI,  23-33;  XXVIII,  10). 

XXXVI  contains  the  genealogical  table  of  the  Edomites  the  tra- 
ditional descendants  of  Esau,  their  various  tribes  and  clans,  and 
tribal  leaders.  The  chapter  is  probably  inserted  here  because  of  the 
natural  interest  of  ancient  Israel  in  Esau,  the  brother  of  Jacob,  and  in 
the  Edomites  their  remote  kinsmen. 

V.  31  is  of  particular  historical  and  literary  significance  because 
of  its  obvious  reference  to  Saul,  the  first  king  of  Israel.  This 
reference  proves  absolutely  that  this  chapter  at  least  could  not  have 
been  written  by  Moses,  as  tradition  tells,  but  must  have  been  com- 
posed, at  the  very  earliest,  some  time  after  the  reign  of  Saul. 


282  The  Book  of  Genesis 


XX 

JOSEPH  THE  DREAMER 

(Genesis   XXXVII) 

I  seek  my  brethren.      (Genesis  XXXVII,  16.) 

Death  and  life  are  in  the  power  of  the  tongue.  (Proverbs  XVIII, 
21.) 

Read  Proverbs  III,  1-7. 

"Death  and  life  are  in  the  power  of  the  tongue",  the 
wise  Book  of  Proverbs  says.  It  is  told  that  Rabban  Simon 
ben  Gamaliel  once  ordered  his  servant  to  bring  from  the 
market  the  test  thing  to  be  found  there.  To  the  good  rabbi's 
surprise  he  brought  a  tongue.  At  another  time  the  rabbi 
commanded  him  to  bring  the  worst  thing  the  market  could 
offer.  To  his  still  greater  surprise  the  servant  again  brought 
a  tongue.  "How  is  this",  the  master  asked;  "when  I  bade 
thee  bring  the  best  thing  the  market  provided,  thou  didst 
bring  a  tongue.  And  now  that  I  have  ordered  the  worst 
thing,  thou  dost  still  bring  a  tongue?"  "Good  master", 
answered  the  wise  servant,  "dost  thou  not  know  that  a 
tongue  may  be  either  the  best  or  the  worst  thing  in  this 
world  accordingly  as  its  owner  uses  it?" 

How  true  this  is!  Our  tongues  are  gifts  from  God,  given 
for  blessing,  to  be  used  to  further  God's  wise  and  good 
purpose,  for  which,  we  believe,  He  has  placed  us  all  here 
on  earth.  How  much  good  can  the  tongue  do,  how  much 
happiness  can  it  bring,  when  it  speaks  words  of  kindness, 
love  and  truth !  And  how  much  evil  can  it  work,  and  how 
much  unhappiness  can  it  cause,  if  it  speaks  words  of  false- 


Joseph  the  Dreamer  283 

hood,  anger,  o*  envy!  Therefore  the  Bible  says,  "Death  and 
life  are  in  the  power  of  the  tongue".  And  the  rabbis  taught 
that  though  the  tongue  speaks  in  Rome,  it  can  kill  in  Syria, 
and  the  slanderous  words  it  utters  are  like  a  coal  which  can 
never  be  completely  extinguished.  And  the  Bible  also  says, 
"Thou  shalt  not  go  up  and  down  as  a  tale-bearer  among  thy 
people"  (Leviticus  XIX,  16). 

Yet  just  this  is  what  Joseph  did.  Even  against  his  -own 
brothers  he  brought  evil  tales  unto  his  father.  Possibly 
they  were  true,  and  possibly  they  were  exaggerated,  for  that 
is  generally  the  way  with  evil  reports.  Had  Joseph  been 
inspired  by  sincere  love  for  his  brothers,  and  by  the  desire 
to  help  them  correct  their  faults,  his  motives  might  have 
been  commendable.  But  he  seems  merely  to  have  delighted 
in  telling  all  the  evil  things  about  his  brothers  he  could,  and 
in  representing  himself  thereby  as  better  than  they.  His 
dreams,  too,  seem  to  have  suggested  the  same  idea  to  his 
father  and  brothers,  and  most  of  all  to  himself,  and  for  this 
reason  especially  he  seems  to  have  taken  delight  in  recount- 
ing them.  As  yet  none  of  them  could  have  the  least  intima- 
tion of  all  that  the  dreams  really  meant.  His  father  chided 
him  for  the  assumption  of  authority  implied  in  the  dreams, 
and  his  brothers  hated  him,  and  little  wonder.  For  there  is 
no  being  more  contemptible  than  a  tale-bearer  of  this  kind. 
Joseph  was  far  from  a  lovely  character  when  we  first  make 
his  acquaintance.  But  we  shall  see  how  he,  too,  like  his 
father,  Jacob,  was  chastened  and  purified  by  the  sufferings 
which  his  own  misdeeds  brought  upon  him,  until  at  last  he 
became  a  noble  man  and  a  worthy  servant  of  the  Lord, 
through  whom  God  did  a  wonderful  work.  It  has  been 
said,  that  the  worth  of  a  man  depends  upon  his  two  smallest 
organs,  his  heart  and  his  tongue.  The  truth  of  this  adage 
is  well  exemplified  in  the  story  of  Joseph. 

Probably  Joseph  was  not  altogether  to  blame,  or  rather 
he  was  not  the  only  one  to  blame.  In  the  first  place,  Jacob 


284  The  Book  of  Genesis 

himself  was  at  fault  for  manifesting  greater  love  for  Joseph 
than  for  his  other  sons,  and  for  spoiling  him  as  he  did. 
Partiality  is  always  a  form  of  injustice,  and  injustice  is 
always  wrong  and  causes  evil.  We  have  seen  this  already 
in  Isaac's  greater  love  for  Esau  and  Rebekah's  greater  love 
for  Jacob. 

And  then,  too,  Joseph's  brothers,  it  is  clear,  envied  him 
his  father's  greater  love  and  his  ease  and  comfort  at  home, 
even  though  he  was  younger  than  they.  Envy  is  always 
wicked,  and  it,  too,  always  brings  evil  and  sorrow,  no  matter 
what  its  cause.  The  rabbis  told  the  following  wise  fable  to 
account  for  the  awkward  hop  in  the  gait  of  the  raven. 
Originally  he  walked  much  more  gracefully,  yet  not  as 
much  so  as  he  wished.  He  observed  the  graceful  step  of 
the  dove,  and  enviously  tried  to  imitate  it.  But  all  in  vain. 
He  succeeded  only  in  toppling  over  repeatedly  and  almost 
breaking  his  bones.  And  in  consequence  he  made  himself 
ridiculous  in  the  eyes  of  the  other  birds.  Then,  realizing 
that  all  his  efforts  were  useless,  he  decided  to  resume  his 
former  gait.  But  to  his  surprise  and  distress,  he  found  that 
in  his  envious  efforts  to  be  something  else,  he  had  unlearned 
even  how  to  walk.  And  ever  since  then  he  has  had  to  hop 
along  in  his  own  awkward,  graceless  manner,  despised  and 
ridiculed  by  birds  and  men.  Such  is  the  evil  and  folly  of 
envy  and  covetousness.  Therefore  our  Bible  says,  as  the 
last  of  the  great  Ten  Commandments,  "Thou  shalt  not 
covet".  The  truly  great  are  those  who  can  overcome  envy 
and  covetousness,  and  rejoice  in  the  success  and  happiness 
of  others. 

The  rabbis  used  likewise  to  tell  this  story.  When  the 
word  of  the  Lord  came  to  Moses,  "Get  thee  up  unto  the 
mountain,  for  there  thou  must  die;  henceforth  Joshua  shall 
lead  My  people",  Moses  prayed,  "O  let  me  live  and  be  the 
servant  of  Joshua,  even  as  he  was  my  servant ;  only  let  me 
cross  the  river  with  him  and  come  to  the  Promised  Land". 


Joseph  the  Dreamer  285 

.And  God  answered,  "So  be  it  as  them  hast  asked".  Then 
the  two  men  went  to  the  tabernacle,  and  the  cloud  of  God 
descended  and  separated  them.  When  it  rose  again,  Moses 
said,  "Josnua>  niY  master,  what  word  did  the  Lord  reveal 
to  thee?"  But  Joshua  answered,  "Didst  thou  not  hear  it 
thyself?  How  strange;  for  whenever  the  Lord  spoke  to 
thee,  I,  too,  heard  His  word  and  understood  His  bidding". 
Then  Moses  bowed  his  head,  and  his  face  reddened  with 
shame,  as  envy  whispered  thoughts  of  evil.  But  only  for  a 
moment.  Quickly  he  fell  upon  his  face  and  cried,  "O  Lord, 
rather  a  hundred  deaths  than  one  thought  of  envy".  Then 
Moses  ascended  the  mountain  and  entered  a  cave  and  lay 
down  upon  the  rocky  floor.  And  the  Lord  came,  and  with 
a  gentle  kiss  freed  Moses'  soul  from  his  body  and  took  it 
once  more  unto  Himself,  the  true  Promised  Land,  the  goal 
of  all  life.  Thus  did  Moses  overcome  envy. 

We  may  be  sure  that  Jacob  suffered  greatly  in  thus  being 
compelled  to  witness  the  lack  of  love  and  brotherly  feeling 
among  his  children.  Perhaps  he  was  reminded  thereby  of 
his  own  early  treatment  of  his  brother,  Esau,  and  perhaps, 
too,  he  may  have  felt  that  he  deserved  this  unhappiness  as  a 
further  punishment  for  his  youthful  sin.  We  feel  deeply 
for  the  old  man  in  his  sorrow.  The  picture  of  Jacob's  grief, 
when  his  sons  bring  him  Joseph's  blood-stained  coat,  is 
pathetic  indeed  In  fact,  the  entire  story  of  Joseph  is  an- 
other masterpiece  of  the  story-teller's  art. 

It  begins  with  a  rather  foreboding  picture,  a  father,  old, 
doting,  and  partial,  deceived  in  heartless  manner  by  his  own 
sons,  and  subjected  to  the  deepest  sorrow;  the  sons  envious, 
deceitful  and  cruel  beyond  measure ;  and  the  one  lad  a  tale- 
bearer, and  supercilious  and  arrogant  toward  his  older 
brothers.  But  it  is  only  the  beginning  of  the  story,  and 
serves  but  to  whet  the  interest.  Already  this  opening  chap- 
ter hints  that  things  will  gradually,  under  God's  wise  and 
loving  guidance,  right  themselves.  Joseph's  dreams  point 


286  The  Book  of  Genesis 

to  a  satisfactory  outcome  to  the  story.  Above  all,  the  words 
of  Joseph  to  the  stranger,  "I  seek  my  brethren",  contain  a 
world  of  meaning.  For,  as  we  shall  see,  they  foreshadow 
his  entire  future  life;  his  brothers  will  he  indeed  seek  in 
the  land  of  his  bondage  and  glory,  and  their  salvation  will 
he  work  after  he  shall  have  himself  become  purified.  And 
not  this  alone,  but  they  also,  will  seek  him,  after  their  na- 
tures, too,  shall  have  been  purified  and  ennobled.  Best  of 
all,  once  more  the  aged  father  will  be  reunited  with  his 
darling  son,  and  supreme  joy  will  succeed  to  deepest  sor- 
row. And  throughout  the  story  we  shall  see  God's  provi- 
dence and  divine  purpose  running,  like  a  thread  of  gold 
through  a  web  of  silver,  and  God  somehow,  in  a  way  which 
we  can  not  fully  comprehend,  but  still  can  realize  and  be- 
lieve in,  out  of  all  the  evil  of  Joseph  and  his  brothers,  at 
last  bringing  greater  good  for  them  and  all  about  them, 
keeping  alive  may  people,  and  enabling  Joseph  to  fulfill  the 
birthright  of  Israel,  to  be  a  blessing  unto  mankind. 

We  have  already  seen  that  the  Jacob  story  is  a  unit  of 
thought  and  narration,  cast  in  dramatic  form,  and  animated 
by  one  single,  central  theme.  To  a  much  more  pronounced 
and  perceptible  degree  is  this  the  case  with  the  Joseph  story. 
When  we  omit  such  extraneous  passages  as  the  genealogical 
table  in  XLVI,  8-27,  which,  a  moment's  consideration  will 
show,  could  not  have  been  a  part  of  the  original  narrative, 
but  which  was  clearly  inserted  by  some  late  writer  or  editor, 
the  dramatic  unity  becomes  immediately  apparent.  Like  the 
Jacob  story,  the  Joseph  story,  too,  could  very  easily  be  cast 
into  perfect  dramatic  form.  It  mjight  be  arranged  thus : 

Act  I  — Joseph  the  boy  and  his  relations  with  his 
brothers. 

Act  II  — Joseph  in  Potiphar's  house. 

Act  III — Joseph  in  prison. 

Act  IV — Joseph  the  viceroy,  and  his  first  meeting  with 
his  brothers. 


Joseph  the  Dreamer  287 

Act  V  — Joseph's  second  meeting  with  his  brothers  and 
the  reunion  of  the  family. 

Not  only  may  the  story  be  easily  cast  into  dramatic  form, 
but  the  dramatic  note  pervades  the  entire  narrative.  The 
dreams  of  Joseph's  boyhood  but  foreshadow  the  actual  rela- 
tions which  are  later  to  obtain  between  him  and  his  brothers. 
Similarly  the  casting  of  Joseph  into  the  pit  by  his  brothers 
is  dramatically  reversed  when  Joseph  puts  one  of  his  brothers 
into  prison  as  hostage  for  the  return  of  the  other  brothers, 
including  the  youngest.  Likewise  there  is  dramatic  paral- 
lelism, vaguely  felt  by  the  old,  grief-stricken  father,  but 
more  clearly  perceived  by  the  remorseful  brothers,  who 
knew  somewhat  of  Joseph's  fate,  between  Joseph's  going 
down  to  Egypt  as  a  slave,  doomed  apparently  to  a  life  of 
hopeless  toil  and  suffering,  and  Benjamin's  coming  to  the 
same  country,  and,  because  of  the  pitcher  being  found  in  his 
sack,  being  doomed  seemingly  to  the  same  fate.  They  had 
deliberately  sold  Joseph  as'  a  slave;  and  now  when  they 
would  save  Benjamin  from  this  very  fate,  they  are  power- 
less. Dramatically,  too,  is  their  consciousness  of  guilt  de- 
picted, when  Simeon  is  cast  into  prison,  and  they  feel  it  to 
be  but  the  just  punishment  for  the  wrong  they  had  done  to 
Joseph  (XLII,  19-24).  And  equally  dramatic  is  the  scene 
where  the  brothers  converse  openly  before  Joseph,  and 
reveal  their  innermost  thoughts,  and  acknowledge  their  guilt 
and  express  their  remorse  for  their  crime,  unaware  that 
Joseph  understands  their  every  word. 

Above  all,  the  tragic  pathos  of  the  scene  where  Judah 
seeps  forth  before  the  mighty,  and  seemingly  implacable 
Egyptian  lord,  and  offers  himself  for  the  lad  Benjamin,  in 
order  that  the  latter  might  be  saved  from  slavery,  and  their 
father  might  be  spared  the  killing  grief  of  the  additional 
loss  of  his  youngest  son,  is  unsurpassed,  not  only  in  the 
Bible,  but  in  all  literature.  It,  too,  constitutes  a  dramatic 
reversal  of  an  earlier  situation.  The  brothers  had  sold 


288  The  Book  of  Genesis 

Joseph  as  a  slave  almost  without  hesitation,  and  with  only 
two  of  them  willing  to  speak  a  mild  word  on  his  behalf, 
and  with  no  thought  of  the  grief  they  must  thereby  cause 
their  aged  father.  Now  one  of  them  is  ready  to  yield  him- 
self to  the  awful  lot  of  Egyptian  slavery,  in  order  that  the 
other  brother  might  be  saved  from  the  very  fate  of  Joseph, 
and  that  their  father  might  be  spared  the  renewal  of  his 
grief. 

It  were  futile  to  attempt  to  record  all  the  points  of  artistic 
excellence  of  the  Joseph  story.  Suffice  it  to  say  as  a  piece 
of  narrative  and  dramatic  art  it  stands  in  the  forefront  of 
the  world's  literature.  It  is  not  without  significance  that 
whenever  one  of  the  stories  of  the  Bible  is  selected  for 
narration,  it  is  almost  invariably  this  story  of  Joseph.  This 
is  due  entirely  to  the  realization,  largely  unconscious,  of  its 
surpassing  merit  as  a  piece  of  narrative  literature. 

But  this  very  fact  raises  the  question  of  the  historical 
truth  of  the  story.  And  the  answer,  established  by  science, 
is  that  the  story  is  a  noble  and  beautiful  romance  through 
and  through,  with  very  little  historical  basis.  We  know 
from  Egyptian  monuments  that  there  dwelt  in  ancient  Pal- 
estine, before  the  entrance  of  the  tribes  of  Israel  into  the 
land,  a  small  clan  or  tribe,  which  was  called  Joseph-el. 
Joseph  may  very  well  be  a  contraction  of  this  name.  This 
tribe  may  have  continued  tof  dwell  in  Palestine  until  the 
advent  of  the  great  body  of  the  tribes  of  Israel,  and  may 
have  become  incorporated  with  them,  and  thus  the  name 
Joseph  may  have  become  current  in  Israel.  But  there  is  not 
the  least  corroborative  evidence  that  there  was  ever  an 
actual  man  Joseph,  who  played  the  role  of  the  hero  of  the 
story. 

On  the  .other  hand,  documents  found  in  Egypt  tell  of  a 
certain  man  named  Yanhamu,  who  held  a  position  in  Egyptian 
political  li'fe  under  Amenophis  IV  (1375-1358,  B.  C.), 
somewhat  similar  to  that  which  Joseph  holds  in  the  story. 


Joseph  the  Dreamer  289 

lie  was  governor  of  YarimuUi,  presumably  a  grain-producing 
district  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  Nile  Delta,  and  he  proba- 
bly supervised  the  gathering  of  the  grain  for  the  national 
food  supply.  The  name  is  Semitic,  and  probably  indicates 
that  the  man  was  a  Semite,  although  not  necessarily,  nor 
even  probably,  an  Israelite.  He  differed  from  Joseph  in 
that  he  seems  to  have  employed  the  powers  of  his  office 
and  his  great  influence  with  the  king  unjustly,  oppressively, 
and  for  his  own  advantage.  It  is  not  at  all  improbable, 
however,  that  the  position  which  this  man  held  suggested  a 
portion  of  the  plot  to  the  authors  of  the  Joseph  story.  They 
seem  to  have  been  well  acquainted  with  Egyptian  life  and 
manners  (cf.  XLIII,  32,  and  the  pure  Egyptian  names, 
Potiphar,  Zaphenath-paneali,  Asenafh  and  Poti-phera)  and 
literature,  and  may  therefore  have  drawn  upon  Egyptian  his- 
tory for  the  original  of  the  figure  of  their  hero. 

Certainly  the  episode  of  Potiphar's  wife  is  borrowed 
directly  from  Egyptian  literature.  There  is  a  well-known 
Egyptian  tale,  found  upon  an  ancient  papyrus,  which  tells  of 
two  brothers  who  dwelt  together,  the  older  married  and  the 
younger  single.  One  day  the  older  brother  sent  the  younger 
brother  from  the  field  where  they  were  plowing,  to  bring 
some  seed.  When  the  younger  brother  came  to  the  house, 
he  found  his  brother's  wife  combing  her  hair.  He  took  two 
large  measures  of  seed  and  prepared  to  depart.  However, 
when  the  woman  beheld  his  beauty  and  strength,  her  heart 
became  inflamed  with  love  for  him.  But  he  rejected  her 
advances  indignantly  and  bitterly  rebuked  her.  But  he  said 
nothing  to  his  brother  of  what  had  happened.  The  woman, 
however,  feared  exceedingly.  Therefore  she  anointed  her- 
self with  fat,  and  made  herself  like  one  to  whom  an  evil- 
doer had  offered  violence.  When  the  older  brother  returned 
home  in  the  evening,  his  wife  did  not  receive  him  as  usual. 
Instead  she  lay  stretched  out  upon  the  bed,  as  if  injured. 
When  he  asked  her  the  cause,  she  answered,  "No  one  has 


290  The  Book  of  Genesis 

had  to  do  with  me  except  thy  little  brother,  since  when  he 
came  to  take  the  seed  corn  for  thee,  he  found  me  sitting 
alone,  and  said  to  me,  'Come,  let  us  make  merry  an  hour 
and  repose !  Let  down  thy  hair !'  Thus  he  spake  to  me, 
but  I  did  not  listen  to  him  (but  said),  'See,  am  I  not  thy 
mother,  and  is  not  thy  elder  brother  like  a  father  to  thee?' 
Thus  I  spoke  to>  him,  but  he  did  not  hearken  to  my  speech, 
and  used  force  with  me,  that  I  might  not  tell  thee.  Now 
if  thou  allowest  him  to  live,  I  will  kill  myself".  (Translation 
of  Brugsch,  The  True  Story  of  the  Exodus,  134-136).  At 
these  words  the  younger  brother  fled,  pursued  by  the  older 
brother.  His  subsequent  fortunes  do  not  concern  us.  The 
resemblance  of  this  story  to  the  episode  of  Potiphar's  wife 
is  so  striking,  that  the  conclusion  is  unavoidable  that  the 
latter  is  borrowed  from  the  former.  And  if  so,  then  there 
can  be  no  further  doubt  that  the  entire  Joseph  story  has 
little  basis  in  historical  fact,  or  is  aught  else  than  a  pure 
romance,  a  beautiful  and  artistic  piece  of  dramatic  literature. 
But  again  we  must  come  to  the  same  conclusion,  to  which 
we  came  with  regard  to  the  creation  and  flood  stories,  which, 
as  we  learned,  were  borrowed  from  Babylonian  myths.  The 
authors  did  not  borrow  idly,  nor  merely  to  give  dramatic 
expression  to  some  idea  or  plot  in  their  minds.  The  Joseph 
story,  too,  is  but  the  means  by  which  they  gave  concrete 
expression  to  a  fundamental  teaching  of  Judaism.  This  is 
summed  up  in  the  significant  words  of  Joseph  to  his  brothers, 
when,  after  their  father's  death  they  fear  that  he  will  avenge 
himself  upon  them,  "Ye  meant  evil  against  me,  but  God 
meant  it  for  good,  to  bring  to  pass,  as  it  is  this  day,  to  save 
much  people  alive"  (L,  20).  Joseph's  brothers  had  wronged 
him  and  had  sold  him  into  slavery.  Yet  through  God's  provi- 
dence he  arose  to  an  exalted  station,  and  became  the  sole 
means  whereby  both  Egypt  and  Israel  were  kept  alive.  Thus, 
out  of  the  brothers'  evil,  under  God's  providence,  great  good 
resulted. 


Joseph  the  Dreamer  291 

So  it  is,  these  authors  would  tell  us,  in  all  life.  God  has 
endowed  man  with  freewill,  with  the  power  to  choose  be- 
tween good  and  evil.  But  the  evil  which  men  do  is  not 
eternal.  Somehow,  in  ways  which  we  can  not  comprehend, 
but  the  evidences  of  which  we  can  see  in  all  life  and  history, 
and  particularly  in  Israel's  history,  God  changes  the  evil 
which  men  and  nations  do  into  good.  Even  as  the  beautiful 
rose  blossoms  forth  from  out  the  dirt  and  dung,  in  accord- 
ance with  God's  law,  so,  likewise  in  accordance  with  God's 
law,  out  of  men's  evil  deeds  greater  good  and  blessing  must 
in  time  spring  forth  for  later  generations.  Men  may  mean 
it  for  evil,  but  God  means  it  for  good.  God  has  not  merely 
created  the  world  and  set  it  going,  and  since  then  sits  back 
in  passive  idleness ;  God  is  still  in  the  world,  guiding  the  des- 
tinies of  men  and  nations  aright  in  accordance  with  His  wise 
and  beneficent  laws,  changing  evil  to  good,  and  bringing  man- 
kind steadily  forward  upon  the  path  of  truth  and  progress, 
which  leads  to  the  goal  of  human  existence  which  He  has 
appointed. 

This  is  the  teaching  of  Judaism,  and  this  is  the  message 
of  the  Joseph  story,  the  central  theme  which  animates  it 
and  gives  it  unity  and  purpose,  and  of  which  it  is  the  con- 
crete and  convincing  illustration.  It  gives  the  answer  to  the 
question  which  the  analysis  of  the  opening  chapters  of  Gen- 
esis must  have  raised  in  thinking  minds.  If  God  has  cre- 
ated everything  for  good,  and  if  He  has  endowed  man  with 
freewill,  whereby  man  can  work  good  or  evil  as  he  chooses, 
what  becomes,  of  the  evil  which  man  may  do,  and  how  does 
it  accord  with  God's  purpose  of  good?  The  Joseph  story 
gives  the  answer;  men  may  do  evil  if  they  choose;  but 
somehow,  out  of  this  very  evil  God  in  His  own  time  brings 
greater  good  for  all  mankind.  Thus  the  Joseph  story  rounds 
out,  as  it  were,  the  thought  of  the  Book  of  Genesis,  and 
constitutes  a  most  fitting  conclusion  for  this  introductory 
book  of  the  Pentateuch  and  of  the  Bible. 


292  The  Book  of  Genesis 

In  presenting  the  Joseph  story,  the  teacher  should  keep  constantly 
in  mind  the  fact  of  its  essential  unity.  The  various  episodes  should  he 
presented,  not  as  separate  stories,  nor  as  loosely  connected  incidents 
in  the  life  of  one  man,  but  as  integral  and  indispensable  parts  of  a 
great  drama.  And  even  while  bringing  out  various  worthy  thoughts 
in  connection  with  the  successive  phases  of  the  story,  such  as  these 
of  the  evil  of  tale-bearing  and  of  envy  and  partiality,  the  teacher 
must  never  lose  sight  of  the  main  thought,  nor  miss  any  opportunity 
to  make  the  children  anticipate  it,  and  feel  with  full  conviction  its 
great,  universal  significance.  If  it  be  possible  by  means  of  this 
Joseph  story  to  familiarize  the  children  with  the  thought  that  God 
actively  controls  His  universe  for  good,  and  that  His  providence 
constantly  watches  over  us,  to  guide  us  aright,  and  to  always  bring 
good  out  of  evil,  and  if  this  thought  can  be  made  to  develop  into 
firm,  unshakable  conviction,  a  lasting  foundation  will  have  been  laid 
for  real  Jewish  faith  and  life.  This  is  the  ultimate  goal  of  all 
Jewish  religious  education.  The  proper,  constructive  presentation 
of  the  complete  Joseph  story  therefore  serves  well  to  round  out  this 
first  stage  of  the  work  of  the  Jewish  religious  school. 

NOTES 

V.  2.     It  is  not  clear  why  Leah's  name  is  omitted  here. 

V.  3.  What  is  generally  translated  "a  coat  of  many  colors",  was 
really  a  coat  with  long,  hanging  sleeves,  such  as  is  commonly  worn 
by  persons  of  importance  in  the  Orient.  It  prevents  its  wearer  from 
hard,  manual  labor, 'and  is  therefore  indicative  of  rank.  That  Joseph 
should  wear  such  a  coat  implies  that  he  was  free  of  the  hard  labors 
of  his  brothers,  and  also  that  he  was  of  higher  rank  than  they. 
Therefore  this  coat  was  their  chief  source  of  vexation. 

V.  10.  The  mention  here  of  Joseph's  mother  is  strange  indeed. 
Possibly  it  may  refer  to  Leah  as  Jacob's  chief  wife,  now  that  Rachel 
was  dead.  However,  there  is  an  additional  difficulty  in  this  connec- 
tion. XXX,  25  implies  that  Rachel  gave  birth  to  Joseph  at  the .  end 
of  the  first  fourteen  years  of  Jacob's  sojourn  with  Laban.  According 
to  XXXV,  18,  Benjamin  was  born  on  the  return  to  Canaan,  six  years 
later.  But  in  the  Joseph  story  proper,  although  Joseph  is  a  full- 
grown  man,  and  has  been  viceroy  of  Egypt  already  during  the  seven 
years  of  plenty  and  the  first  two  years  of  famine,  and  had  also  been 
in  prison  for  over  two  years,  and  had  been  a  slave  in  Potiphar's 
house  for  some  time  before  that,  in  other  words,  had  been  in  Egypt 
for  at  least  eleven  or  twelve  years,  Benjamin  is  still  a  mere  lad 


Joseph  the  Dreamer 


293 


when  he  comes  down  to  Egypt  with  his  brothers.  (According  to 
XXXVII,  2  and  *XLI,  46  twenty-two  years  must  have  elapsed  between 
the  sale  of  Joseph  as  a  slave  and  Benjamin's  coming  to  Egypt;  for  if 
Joseph  was  thirty  years  old  at  the  beginning  of  the  seven  years  of 
plenty,  he  must  have  been  thirty-eight  or  thirty-nine  when  Benjamin 
stood  before  him.  In  all  likelihood,  however,  these  verses,  too,  are 
not  a  part  of  the  original  narrative.)  This  would  imply  that,  since 
Benjamin  is  still  a  lad  when  he  comes  to  Egypt,  he  was  not  yet'born 
when  Joseph  was  sold  as  a  slave,  and  therefore  that  his  mother  was 
still  alive  at  this  time,  just  as  the  language  of  the  verse  indicates. 
It  would  seem,  therefore,  that  there  were  two  traditions  in  ancient 
Israel  in  regard  to  the  birth,  of  Benjamin.  The  one  told  that  he  was 
born  on  the  homeward  journey  to  Canaan,  and  that  his  mother  died 
at  the  birth  and  was  buried  on  the  way.  And  the  other  told  that 
he  was  born  some  time  after  they  had  returned  and  settled  in  Canaan, 
and  even  after  Joseph  had  been  sold  as  a  slave.  According  to  this 
second  tradition  he  was  indeed  a  "son  of  Jacob's  old  age"  (XLIV, 
20). 

V«v.  12  and  17.     It  may  be  well  to  show  on  the  map  the  location 


The  Well  at  Dothan 


294 


The  Book  of  Genesis 


A  Caravan  of  Ishmaelites 

of  Shechem  and  Dothan.  Point  out,  too,  how  the  great  highroad  of 
antiquity,  which  led  down  to  Egypt,  passed  near  Dothan.  The 
caravan  to  which  Joseph  was  sold,  was  probably  passing  along  this 
very  highroad,  bringing  its  goods  down  to  Egypt. 

V.  14.  The  mention  of  Hebron  here  is  disturbing.  Hebron  lies 
on  a  straight  line  fully  forty-five  to  fifty  miles  from  Shechem.  The 
intervening  country  is  mountainous,  and  travel,  even  under  the  most 
favorable  conditions  is  difficult.  It  is  impossible  therefore,  on  the 
one  hand,  that  the  sons  of  Jacob  should  have  driven  their  flocks  from 
Hebron  to  Shechem,  and  then  on  to  Dothan,  some  fifteen  miles 
further,  and  on  the  other  hand,  that  Jacob  should  have  sent  Joseph, 
while  still  a  lad,  all  this  distance  to  ascertain  his  brothers'  welfare. 
It  is  clear  that  the  words,  "out  of  the  vale  of  Hebron",  in  their 
Hebrew  equivalent,  were  not  a  part  of  the  original  narrative,  but 
were  inserted  to  harmonize  this  story  with  XXXV,  27,  which  tells 
that  Jacob  came  (finally  to  his  father's  house  at  Hebron.  Omitting 
these  words,  we  get  the  impression  that  this  entire  incident  happened 


Joseph  the  Dreamer  295 

while  Jacob  still  dwelt  at  Shechem  (cf.  XXXIII,  18-20).  We  can 
readily  understand  that  the  sons  of  Jacob  might  well  pasture  their 
flocks  from  Shechem  as  far  as  Dothan,  and  that  Jacob  might  well 
send  the  young  Joseph  in  search  of  them.  This  is  borne  out  by  the 
further  fact  that  Joseph  was  finally  buried  at  Shechem  (Joshua 
XXIV,  32),  for  this  implies  that  Shechem  and  not  Hebron,  was 
Joseph's  original  home. 

Vv.  28a  and  36,  which  call  the  merchants  of  the  caravan  Midian- 
ites  instead  of  Ishmaelites,  are  a  small  fragment  of  a  second  version 
of  the  Joseph  story,  which  was  at  one  time  current  in  ancient  Israel. 
Notice  that  XXXIX,  1  repeats  what  has  been  already  told  in 
XXXVII,  36. 

V.  34.  Rending  the  garments  and  wearing  sack-cloth  were  from 
the  most  ancient  times  the  regular  signs  of  mourning  in  the  Orient. 

XXXVIII.  This  story  of  Judah  is  not  a  part  of  the  Joseph  story 
at  all,  but  is  a  fragment  preserved  from  an  older  work,  and  was 
inserted  in  this  place  by  some  late  writer  or  editor.  XXXIX,  1  is 
the  direct  continuation  of  XXXVII,  35.  According  to  XXXVIII 
Judah  was  dwelling  apart  from  his  brothers  in  the  vicinity  of  Adullam 
in  southern  Palestine,  while  according  to  XLIII,  3ff.  he  seems  to 
have  been  dwelling  with  his  brothers.  The  chapter  is  of  particular 
interest  because  of  its  account  of  the  birth  of  Perez,  according  to 
Ruth  IV,  12  and  18,  one  of  the  ancestors  of  King  David. 


296  The  Book  of  Genesis 


XXI 

JOSEPH  IN  EGYPT 
(Genesis  XXXIX-XLI) 

The  Lord  was  with  Joseph,  and  he  was  a  prosperous  man. 
(Genesis  XXXIX,  2.) 

Trust  in  the  Lord  with  all  thy  heart, 

And  lean   not  upon   thine  own   understanding. 

In  all  thy  ways  acknowledge  Him, 

And  He  will  direct  thy  paths.      (Proverbs  III,  5-6). 

Read    Proverbs    III,    1-8. 

Thus  Joseph  came  down  to  Egypt  and  was  sold  as  a 
slave  to  Potiphar.  His  future  seemed  black  indeed.  Yet 
God  had  not  forsaken  him;  and  with  God,  as  we  have 
learned,  everything  is  possible.  As  the  Bible  says,  "The  Lord 
was  with  Joseph,  and  he  was  a  prosperous  man".  God  was 
with  Joseph,  because  He  had  in  mind  a  great  work  to  be 
done  through  him.  Joseph  was  to  be  the  agent  through 
whom  God  worked  His  wise  purpose ;  but  like  his  father 
Jacob  in  his  youth,  he  had  first  to  be  purified,  to  be  made 
fit  for  God's  service.  His  inclination  toward  selfishness  had 
first  to  be  purged  from  his  soul.  But  Joseph  seems  to  have 
been  naturally  of  a  kindly  and  lovable  nature.  As  a  child 
he  had  probably  been  spoiled  by  his  indulgent  father,  while 
his  brothers,  too,  had  not  exerted  a  helpful  influence  upon 
him.  But  at  heart  he  was  sound  and  good;  hence  the  task 
of  purification  was  easy  for  him,  when  compared  with  Jacob. 

Joseph  had  yielded  to  the  temptation  of  selfishness  in  his 
relations  with  his  brothers,  to  the  desire  to  have  more  of  the 
love  of  his  father  and  more  of  power  and  authority  than 


Joseph  in  Egypt  297 

were  rightfully  his.  So  now  God  tried  him  by  a  like  temp- 
tation. In  the  house  of  his  master,  everything  was  entirely 
in  his  charge ;  he  might  do  with  everything  what  he  wished, 
save  one  thing,  which  belonged  to  his  master  alone.  It 
matters  not  what  that  one  thing  was.  It  suffices  to  know 
that,  as  the  rabbis  told,  ofttimes  Joseph  was  tempted  to 
take  it  for  his  own.  No  one  would  have  known  the  differ- 
ence, not  even  his  master.  The  battle  was  hard  and  long. 
As  Joseph  went  about  his  tasks,  the  thing  constantly  enticed 
him,  "Come  and  take  me  for  your  own;  no  one  will  be  the 
wiser;  why  not  be  happy  while  you  may?"  Often  Joseph 
stretched  out  his  hand;  but  always  something  held  him 
back.  Now  it  was  the  image  of  his  old  father.  And 
with  it  came  the  thought,  "O  my  beloved  father,  should 
I  do  this  wicked  thing,  how  might  I  ever  again  look  upon 
thy  face?  How  wouldst  thou  be  shamed,  didst  thou  know 
that  thy  son  had  yielded  to  this  temptation.  Perhaps  God 
may  still,  in  His  infinite  love,  bring  me  back  to  thee.  But 
never  will  He  do  so,  if  I  yield  to  this  sin".  Again  it  was 
the  thought  of  the  birthright  of  Abraham  which  had  in 
some  way  descended  from  Jacob  to  him.  "How  can  I  be- 
come a  blessing  unto  all  the  families  of  the  earth",  he 
thought,  "if  I  begin  by  wronging  one  single  man,  and  he 
my  kind  master?  No;  I  can  be  worthy  of  this  precious 
birthright  only  by  remaining  pure,  and  by  doing  good  to 
my  master,  even  as  he  has  done  good  to  me.  He  has 
trusted  me,  and  put  everything  in  my  hands  except  this  one 
thing,  and  I  must  be  faithful".  With  thoughts  like  these 
Joseph  resisted  temptation.  The  more  he  resisted  and  the 
oftener  he  put  temptation  from  him,  the  stronger  he  be- 
came, and  the  easier  it  was  to  conquer,  until  at  last  the  desire 
to  sin  left  him  completely.  Then  his  natural  instincts  of 
goodness  and  love  began  to  assert  themselves  openly,  and  he 
became  ready  and  fit  to  live  in  accordance  with  the  birth- 
right of  Abraham. 


298  The  Book  of  Genesis 

Temptation  comes  to  everyone,  young  and  old.  It  comes 
in  countless  ways,  for  the  allurements  of  sin  are  many. 
There  may  be  some  who  are  never  tempted  to  do  wrong. 
Outwardly  they  do  seem  good,  and  we  have  no  right  to  say 
that  they  are  not.  Yet  for  all  we  know,  when  temptation 
does  come,  they  may  yield  without  a  struggle.  The  truly 
good  is  he  who  has  fought  and  conquered.  He  is  tried  and 
tested;  no  matter  what  comes,  we  know  that,  like  Joseph, 
he  will  resist  temptation  and  always  do  the  right.  Tempta- 
tion is  a  trial  which  we  must  all  undergo,  to  determine 
whether  we  are  really  pure  at  heart  and  strong  and  fit  to  do 
God's  work.  An  automobile  must  be  tested  before  it  leaves 
the  shop,  a  cannon  before  it  is  put  to  actual  use,  a  battle- 
ship, before  the  government  will  accept  it.  But  even  more 
does  God  test  His  creature  and  His  servant,  man,  to  deter- 
mine whether  he  is  strong  to  do  the  great  work  of  useful- 
ness and  blessing  for  which  God  has  created  him.  So,  as 
we  have  learned,  God  tested  Abraham  and  Jacob ;  so  now 
he  tested  Joseph;  and  so,  in  His  own  wise  way,  He  tests  all 
of  us. 

In  this  battle  against  temptation  God  has  given  us  many 
powerful  allies.  There  are  our  parents,  who  guide  us  while 
young,  and  help  us  to  grow  strong  and  to  form  right  habits, 
which  will  enable  us  to  conquer  more  easily.  When  temp- 
tation comes,  the  thought  of  them,  and  the  shame  and  sorrow 
they  must  suffer,  did  we  yield,  and  the  poor  return  we  thus 
make  for  all  their  care  and  love  and  faith  in  us,  the  thought, 
too,  that  we  can  never  again  look  them  squarely  in  the  eye, 
nor  meet  their  look  of  loving  trust  with  answering  look,  may 
well  restrain  us,  also,  and  strengthen  us  to  resist. 

Then,  too,  the  thought  of  our  glorious  birthright,  which 
we  must  forfeit  if  we  yield  to  sin,  should  strengthen  us,  as 
it  did  Joseph,  Surely  we  can  never  become  blessings  to 
mankind,  if  we  sin  against  a  single  person.  We  can  live  true 
to  our  birthright  only  when  we  use  every  gift  of  God  rightly. 


Joseph  in  Egypt  299 

Ofttimes  we  hear  people  say,  "Why  should  not  we  Jews  do 
what  other  people  do?  Why  must  we  always  strive  to  be 
better  and  hold  ourselves  aloof  from  pleasures  which  other 
people  enjoy?"  They  do  not  understand,  or  are  too  weak 
to  resist  temptation.  As  we  have  learned,  we  Jews  may 
not  do  all  that  others  do ;  we  must  be  better  because  of  our 
birthright ;  because  we  can  be  a  blessing  only  by  being  bet- 
ter, and  resisting  temptation  more  steadfastly,  and,  by  our 
teaching,  our  example,  and  our  help,  bringing  others  to  be- 
come like  ourselves,  pure,  noble  and  good.  We  must  strive 
to  be  better  in  every  way,  that  thereby  we  may  uphold  the 
standard  of  truth  and  right  which  God  has  placed  in  our 
hands.  The  Jew  who  yields  to  temptation,  or  will  not  strive 
to  live  better  than  all  around  him,  is  unworthy  the  name 
Jew  and  the  eternal  birthright  of  Abraham,  our  father. 
Surely  the  realization  of  all  this  should  help  us  to  resist  temp- 
tation and  to  fit  ourselves  to  do  God's  work. 

But  though  Joseph  bravely  resisted  temptation,  none  the 
less  he  was  falsely  accused  of  having  done  the  very  thing 
he  had  not  done.  In  consequence  he  was  thrown  into  prison, 
where  he  remained  for  several  years.  But  even  here  God 
did  not  forsake  him.  Probably  this,  too,  was  a  part  of  his 
trial.  And  here,  too,  Joseph  stood  the  test  nobly.  He  was 
cheered  by  the  thought  that  he  had  been  innocent  of  the 
crime  of  which  he  had  been  charged,  and  was  confident  that 
in  due  time  his  innocence  would  become  clear.-  Therefore, 
instead  of  complaining  at  his  sad  lot  and  despairing  of  God's 
help,  he  made  the  best  of  things.  He  endeavored  to  be 
useful  even  in  prison.  Thus  he  found  favor  with  the  gov- 
ernor of  the  prison  and  all  who  were  there,  even  his  fellow- 
prisoners.  Day  by  day  their  trust  in  Joseph  grew,  and  they 
found  pleasure  and  comfort  in  his  cheerful  presence.  Even 
in  prison  he  was  discharging  his  birthright  and  bringing 
blessing  to  those  about  him. 

We  need  not   wait  to   attain  high   position   to  begin  our 


300  The  Book  of  Genesis 

task  of  diffusing  blessing.  The  very  humblest  can  work 
blessing  of  some  kind,  if  only  he  have  the  will  and  the  un- 
selfish disposition.  The  rabbis  used  to  tell  of  a  wise  man 
who  one  day  met  the  prophet  Elijah  in  the  market  place. 
Full  of  curiosity,  he  asked  the  prophet  who  of  all  the  busy 
crowd  would  enjoy  'future  life.  "None",  answered  the 
prophet  slowly.  "What!"  said  the  sage,  "of  all  this  crowd 
not  one?"  Just  then  two  men  entered  the  market  place. 
They  seemed  poor,  and  no  one  noticed  them  or  greeted  them. 
"These  two  will  enjoy  future  life",  said  the  prophet.  The 
wise  man  went  to  them  and  reverently  asked,  "Tell  me  what 
is  your  business,  and  what  are  your  virtues,  and  what  your 
deeds?"  "Virtues?  deeds?"  they  asked,  perplexed.  "We 
have  none  of  these.  We  are  poor  men  and  live  by  our 
hands  alone.  Our  only  merit  is  that  we  have  merry  hearts. 
When  we  meet  one  who  is  sad,  we  strive  to  cheer  him.  And 
when  we  learn  of  two  who  are  enemies,  we  seek  to  make 
peace  between  them.  Thus  we  labor  to  do  the  will  of  our 
Father  in  heaven".  In  this  way  we  may  all  work  blessing. 
So  even  in  prison  God  was  with  Joseph  and  he  prospered, 
and  did  his  work,  as  always,  as  best  he  could.  As  a  slave 
in  Potiphar's  house  he  had  been  faithful  to  his  duties ;  now 
as  a  lowly  prisoner  he  still  did  his  work  well.  And  all  this 
fitted  him  for  the  far  greater  work  which  God  meant  him 
to  do  very  soon.  It  reminds  us  of  the  wise  saying  of  the 
Bible, 

Whatsoever    thy   hand   attaineth   to    do   by   thy    strength,    that   do. 
(Ecclesiastes    IX,    10.) 

and  the  modern  proverb  with  much  the  same  meaning, 
"Whatever  is  worth  doing,  is  worth  doing  well".  Whatever 
we  do  now  is  training  for  something  bigger  and  better  to- 
morrow. So  it  was  with  Joseph,  and  so  it  is.  with  us. 

Therefore  all  who  came  to  know  Joseph  trusted  him.     It 
is  a  wonderful  thing  to  win  the  trust  and  confidence  of  peo- 


Joseph  in  Egypt  301 

pic.  The  man  who  can  do  this  will  surely  attain  success 
and  honor.  People  may  say  of  him,  as  the  Bible  says  of 
Joseph,  "God  is  with  him".  And  God  will  be  with  him.  As 
we  have  learned  already, 

The  Lord  is  nigh  unto  all  them  that  call  upon  Him, 

To  all  that  call  upon  Him  in  truth.     (Psalm  CXLV,  18.) 

Such  a  person  does  by  his  actions  call  upon  God  to  be  with 
him.  We  can  all  win  trust  and  confidence  in  a  very  simple 
way,  merely  by  deserving  it,  by  being  truthful  and  upright, 
by  keeping  our  word  always,  and  never  taking  advantage  of 
others.  And  then  God  will  be  with  us.  This  was  the  real 
secret  of  Joseph's  success. 

Because  they  trusted  in  him  both  the  butler  and  the  baker 
told  Joseph  their  dreams.  In  those  days  people  thought,  as 
some  do  still  today,  that  dreams  really  foretell  the  future. 
Therefore  there  were  professional  interpreters  of  dreams. 
But  because  they  trusted  Joseph  so  completely,  they  asked 
him  to  interpret  their  dreams.  But  Joseph  set  them  right 
with  an  answer  full  of  wonderful  meaning.  "Do  not  inter- 
pretations belong  to  God?"  "I  can  not  interpret  your  dreams 
myself.  Everything  comes  from  God  with  some  purpose  of 
good".  He  felt  all  the  truth  of  the  wise  saying  of  the  Book 
of  Proverbs : 

Trust  in  the  Lord  with  all  thy  heart, 

And  lean  not  upon  thine  own  understanding. 

In   all   thy   ways   acknowledge   Him, 

And  He  will  direct  thy  paths. 

And  when  he  stood  before  the  mighty  king,  on  the  very 
threshold  of  success  and  glory,  still  he  answered,  "Not  I  can 
interpret  your  dreams,  but  God  alone.  What  God  is  about 
to  do,  He  hath  declared  unto  Pharaoh,  in  order  to  fulfil 
His  divine  purpose". 

This  thought  of  God's  help  and  protection,  and  that 
everything  comes  from  Him,  reminds  us  of  a  charming 


302  The  Book  of  Genesis 

story  of  the  rabbis.  Once  there  were  in  a  city  two  blind  men, 
who  used  to  beg  for  bread.  One  had  the  habit  of  saying, 
"He  is  helped  whom  the  king  helps".  But  the  other  would 
gently  correct  him,  "He  is  helped  whom  the  Lord  helpeth". 
One  day  the  king  himself  passed  by  and  heard  the  words  of 
the  two  blind  men.  When  he  reached  his  palace  he  ordered 
that  a  loaf  of  bread  be  filled  with  gold  pieces  and  be  sent 
to  the  blind  man  who  had  said,  "He  is  helped  whom  the 
king  helps".  Imagine  the  blind  man's  surprise  when  he 
found  that  help  had  indeed  come  from  the  king.  But  when 
the  package  was  opened,  surprise  gave  way  to  disappoint- 
ment; the  king's  help  was  only  a  loaf  of  bread,  and  so  heavy 
that  it  seemed  hardly  fit  to  eat.  In  his  disappointment  he 
sold  it  to  the  other  blind  man  for  a  few  pennies,  and  then 
continued  his  begging.  The  second  blind  man  took  the  loaf 
home.  Heavy  as  it  was,  his  poor  family  would  still  be  glad 
to  eat  it,  and  would  be  thankful  for  the  help  God  had  sent. 
But  when  the  loaf  was  cut,  out  rolled  so  many  pieces  of 
gold,  that  the  blind  man  became  rich  and  needed  no  longer 
beg  for  bread.  Thereafter  the  first  blind  man  continued  to 
beg  alone.  One  day  the  king  passed  by  again,  and  to  his 
surprise  found  the  beggar  still  there.  "How  is  this?"  he 
exclaimed.  "Did  I  not  send  thee  a  loaf  of  bread  some  time 
ago?"  "Yes,  your  majesty",  answered  the  beggar,  "but  it 
was  so  heavy,  I  thought  it  unfit  to  eat,  so  I  sold  it  to  my 
companion  for  a  few  pennies".  "Fool  that  thou  art",  said 
the  king,  "the  loaf  was  filled  with  gold  pieces,  wherewith  I 
thought  to  help  thee,  since  thou  didst  say,  'He  is  helped 
whom  the  king  helps'.  Thy  companion  was  wiser  than  either 
thou  or  I.  Truly  he  alone  is  helped  whom  the  Lord  helpeth". 
Therefore, 

Trust  in  the  Lord  with   all  thy  heart, 

And  lean  not  upon  thine  own  understanding. 

One  little  thing  in  particular  shows  the  change  which  had 


Joseph  in  Egypt  303 

come  over  Joseph.  As  a  boy  at  home  he  had  been  quick  to 
carry  to  his  father  tales  of  his  brothers'  evil  conduct.  But 
now  when  he  tells  his  story  to  the  chief  butler,  he  merely 
protests  that  he  is  innocent  of  wrongdoing.  There  is  not  a 
word  of  condemnation  of  his  brothers  or  of  Potiphar's  wife. 
He  seeks  now  not  to  incriminate  others,  although  he  could 
do  so  truthfully,  but  merely  to  establish  his  own  innocence. 
It  would  seem  that  misfortune  and  experience,  cooperating 
with  his  naturally  gentle  disposition,  had  taught  him  to  think 
as  well  and  as  kindly  of  others  as  possible,  rather  than  to 
think  ill,  as  he  had  done  as  a  boy.  Possibly,  too,  he  realized 
how  greatly  his  conduct  must  have  irritated  his  brothers,  and 
that,  without  this,  they  would  not  have  treated  him  as  they 
did. 

This  is  indeed  a  lesson  which  we  might  all  learn  with 
great  profit  to  ourselves,  and  for  the  blessing  and  happiness 
of  our  fellowmen.  We  are  all  too  prone  to  think  evil  of 
others,  and  to  lay  upon  them  as  far  as  we  can,  the  blame 
for  our  own  misdeeds,  sufferings,  and  failures.  It  is  only 
the  honest  and  strong  man  who  is  ever  ready  to  examine 
his  own  actions  carefully,  and  to  acknowledge  his  short- 
comings, assume  his  share  of  responsibility  for  wrongdoing, 
and  forgive  and  forget  wrongs  which  have  been  done  to 
him.  Yet  if  we  would  all  do  this,  how  much  better  and 
happier  a  place  to  live  in  would  this  world  be;  and  how 
much  happier  and  more  beloved  would  we  ourselves  be,  did 
we  try  to  think  good  instead  of  evil  of  our  neighbors,  even 
though  they  may  have  wronged  us  somewhat. 

So  Joseph  learned  by  bitter  experience  to  think  and  to 
act.  It  shows  more  clearly  than  anything  else,  how  com- 
pletely he  had  changed,  and  how  he  had  been  purified  of  his 
sin,  and  strengthened  and  ennobled  and  made  fit  to  do  the 
great  work,  for  which  God  had  called  him,  and  had  brought 
him  down  to  Egypt.  In  all  his  misfortunes  we  can  readily 
see  God's  hand  at  work  preparing  Joseph  for  the  great  and 


304  The  Book  of  Genesis 

useful  task  which  awaited  him.  What  that  was,  and  how 
Joseph  performed  it,  and  the  great  blessing  he  wrought,  and 
how  he  lived  true  to  the  birthright  of  Abraham,  we  shall 
now  see. 

NOTES 

The  story  of  Potpihar's  wife  can  not,  of  course,  be  told  directly 
to  children.  Yet  it  is  such  an  integral  part  of  the  Joseph  story, 
that  it  may  not  be  omitted  entirely.  The  teacher  must  refer  to  the 
incident  with  infinite  caution  and  tact,  in  order  to  preclude  awkward 
questions.  Perhaps,  unless  she  has  sufficient  confidence  in  her 
ability  to  handle  this  delicate  story  properly  and  constructively,  it 
will  be  better  to  dismiss  it  with  the  simple  statement  that  Joseph 
was  falsely  accused  of  a  grave  crime,  and  was  therefore  cast  into 
prison,  and  then  proceed  to  develop  the  thought  of  God's  help,  as 
set  forth  in  the  second  half  of  the  lesson.  But  if  the  teacher  have 
sufficient  conlfidence  in  her  ability,  and  every  good  teacher  should 
have  this,  then  the  opportunity  to  present  the  thoughts  of  resistance 
to  temptation  and  of  the  privilege  of  Israel's  birthright  should  not 
be  allowed  to  pass.  Here  the  teacher  must  exercise  her  individual 
judgment. 

XL,  3.  Evidently  this  captain  of  the  guard  was  not  the  same 
person  as  Potiphar,  Joseph's  former  master,  cf.  XXXIX,  1. 

V.  20.  The  birthday  of  the  king  was,  and  still  is  today,  frequently 
celebrated  as  a  national  holiday,  upon  which  the  king  manifests  his 
pleasure  and  goodwill  by  bestowing  rewards  and  honors  upon  de- 
serving subjects. 

XLI,  1.  "The  river"  is,  of  course,  the  Nile,  from  which  all  Egypt 
still  today  as  in  ancient  times,  derives  its  chief  sustenance. 

V.  6.  In  Egypt  the  east  wind,  blowing  in  the  summer  from  the 
burning  Arabian  Desert,  becomes  at  times  almost  unbearable  for 
men,  while  the  crops  are  occasionally  blasted  by  its  awful  heat. 

V.  7.  If  the  question  be  asked,  how  can  ears  of  corn  swallow 
other  ears,  or,  for  that  matter,  how  can  sheaves  in  the  field,  or  the 
sun,  moon  and  stars  stand  up  and  bow  down  before  a  man,  the  simple 
answer  should  be  that  often  dreams  are  unreal  and  fantastic,  and 
these  are  probably  such. 

Vv.  8ff.  The  contrast  between  the  magicians  and  professional 
interpreters  of  dreams,  who  rely  solely  upon  their  own  powers,  and 
Joseph,  who  is  not  a  professional  interpreter  of  dreams,  and  ascribes 
everything  to  God,  yet  succeeds  where  they  fail,  might  be  profitably 


Joseph  in  Egypt 


305 


dwelt  upon  by  the  teacher.  The  magicians  were  an  established  insti- 
tution in  ancient  Egypt,  and  are  frequently  referred  to  in  Egyptian 
literature;  cf.  also  Exodus  VII,  llff.;  Daniel  II,  2ff. 


Egyptian    Barbers 

V.  14.  .  The    Egyptians    were    accustomed    to    shave    their    heads 
completely.    Joseph  appears  before  them  in  the  regular  Egyptian  garb. 


Rings  and  Signets 

Vv.  42f.     With  these  insignia  of  the  high  office  to  which  Joseph 
is  raised  cf.  the  similar  scene  in  Esther  VIII. 


The  Princes  of  Egypt  in  Their  Chariots,  etc. 


306 


The  Book  of  Genesis 


V.  43.  Abrech  is  in  all  likelihood  a  Hebrew,  or  at  least  a  Semitic 
word,  which  was  taken  over  by,  and  became  current  in  the  Egyptian 
language.  It  possibly  means  literally,  "bend  the  knee". 

V.  45.  As  was  said  before,  Zaphenath-paneah,  Asenath,  and 
Poti-phera,  as  well  as  Potiphar,  are  all  good,  and  even  common, 
Egyptian  names.  The  meaning  of  Zaphenath-pancah  is  uncertain ; 
various  interpretations  have  been  proposed  by  Egyptian  scholars. 


The    Modern    Site   of    Heliopolis 

Asenath  probably  means,  "belonging  to  the  goddess  Neith";  Poti- 
phera  means  "he  who  belongs  to  the  sun-god  Ra" ;  Potiphar  is  prob- 
ably an  abbreviation  of  Poti-phera.  According  to  the  story  Potiphar 
and  Poti-phera  were  two  different  men,  since  they  held  different 
offices.  However  the  similarity  of  their  names  led  the  rabbis  to 
confuse  them,  and  to  tell  that  Asenath  was  the  daughter  of  Potiphar 
and  his  wife,  who  tempted  Joseph,  and  that  she  was  given  by  God 
to  Joseph  as  the  reward  for  his  virtue. 

V.  46.     This    verse,    coupled    with    XXXVII,    2,    implies    that    by 
this   time  Joseph  had  been   in  Egypt   for  thirteen  years. 


Joseph  and  his  Brothers 


307 


XXII 
JOSEPH  AND  HIS  BROTHERS 

(Genesis  XLII-XLV) 

Let  thy  servant,  I  pray  thee,  abide  instead  of  the  lad  a  bondman 
to  my  lord,  and  let  the  lad  go  up  with  his  brethren.  (Genesis 
XLIV,  33.) 

Hatred  stirreth  up  strifes; 

But  love  covereth  all  transgressions.      (Proverbs  X,   12.) 

Read    Psalm    XXXIV,    12-15. 

Thus  Joseph  became  ruler  of  the  great  kingdom  of  Egypt, 
second  only  to  the  king  himself.  He  was  charged  particu- 
larly with  the  task  of  safeguarding  the  food  supply  of  the 
land  for  the  seven  years  of  famine,  soon  to  come.  Need- 
less to  say,  he  discharged  this  important  task  in  the  same 
conscientious  and  able  manner,  in  which  he  had  performed 


An  Ancient  Egyptian  Granary 


308  The  Book  of  Genesis 

the  many  little  tasks  which  had  fallen  to  his  lot  as  a  slave. 
Those  had  been  his  trial  and  preparation  for  this  great 
work,  and  he  had  completely  proved  his  fitness  and  worth. 
Not  only  had  he  risen  to  high  position,  but  he  had  also,  mar- 
ried the  daughter  of  one  of  Egypt's  greatest  lords,  and  two 
sons  had  been  born  to  them,  Ephraim  and  Manasseh. 

Yet  despite  all  this  honor  and  success  and  family  bless- 
ing, Joseph  was  not  perfectly  h.ippy.  Always  there  was  in 
his  heart  the  longing  for  his  dear  ones  at  home.  His 
thoughts  constantly  reverted  to  his  aged  father,  and  he  won- 
dered whether  the  old  man  were  still  alive,  and  how  he  had 
withstood  the  shock  of  the  loss  of  his  beloved  son.  Of 
his  brothers,  too,  he  thought  now  lovingly  and  with  com- 
passion. He  realized  that  they  had  not  been  altogether  to 
blame.  He  understood  the  meanness  of  his  former  conduct, 
and  how  greatly  he  must  have  irritated  them,  to  make  them 
do  what  they  had  done.  And  his  heart  was  filled  with  long- 
ing to  see  them  once  more.  He  was  especially  eager  to  see 
his  youngest  brother,  Benjamin,  the  child  of  his  own  dead 
mother,  who  had  been  but  a  mere  prattling  babe  when  he 
had  been  sold  into  slavery,  and  whom,  it  seemed  to  him,  he 
loved  now  like  one  of  his  own  darling  sons.  If  only  God 
would  extend  His  favor,  and  bring  them  all  together  once 
more  in  peace  and  love ;  that  was  his  one  prayer  and  hope, 
the  one  thing  necessary  to  make  his  happiness  complete. 

The  rabbis  tell  that  this  was  not  a  vain  hope  on  the  part 
of  Joseph.  He  knew  that  the  famine  had  extended  even  to 
Canaan,  and  that  sooner  or  later,  his  brothers  must  come 
down  to  Egypt  to  buy  grain,  just  as  other  peoples  were 
doing.  So  Joseph  stationed  guards  on  all  the  roads  leading 
to  Egypt,  with  instructions  to  report  to  him  the  names  of 
all  travelers.  At  last,  one  day  in  the  second  year  of  the 
famine,  the  word  came;  his  brothers  had  come  down  to 
Egypt.  Immediately  the  longing  for  peace  and  family  re- 
union seized  upon  him  with  redoubled  force.  But  with  it 


Joseph  and  his  Brothers  309 

came  a  thought  of  caution.  Perhaps  his  brothers  might  not 
wish  to  be  reunited  with  him;  perhaps  they  still  cherished 
their  old  hatred;  and  perhaps,  too,  they  were  not  worthy  of 
forgiveness.  So  he  commanded  his  servants  to  watch  his 
brothers  and  report  their  conduct,  and  at  the  proper  mo- 
ment bring  them  before  him. 

Now  the  brothers,  too,  had  experienced  a  complete  change 
of  heart.  Even  at  the  moment  of  their  crime  they  had  hesi- 
tated. Reuben  had  really  wanted  to  rescue  Joseph,  and 
Judah,  too,  had  spoken  a  good  word  for  him,  and  had  in- 
duced the  brothers  to  sell  him  as  a  slave  rather  than  kill 
him  outright.  And  during  all  these  years,  they  had  observed 
their  old  father's  constant  sorrow,  and  realized  their  in- 
ability to  comfort  him.  Now  they  were  filled  with  remorse 
for  their  sin,  and  were  eager  to  do  whatever  they  could  to 
right  the  wrong.  So,  the  rabbis  told,  when  they  came  down 
to  Egypt,  their  minds  were  busy,  not  so  much  with  the 
thought  of  buying  food,  as  of  possibly  rinding  Joseph  and 
bringing  him  back  with  them,  and  thus  restoring  the  happi- 
ness of  their  old  father.  Therefore,  they  did  not  immediately 
go  to  the  place  where  grain  was  sold,  but  scattered  about 
the  country  in  search  of  Joseph.  They  had  no  idea  that  he 
had  become  anything  but  a  slave,  and  so  they  searched  for 
him  wherever  they  imagined  a  slave  would  most  likely  be 
found.  But  to  no  avail.  At  last,  in  utter  despair,  and  real- 
izing that  their  dear  ones  at  home  were  in  dire  need  of  food, 
and  that  they  might  tarry  no  longer,  they  repaired^  to  the 
place  where  grain  was  sold.  So,  at  last,  they  came  before 
Joseph.  And,  as  the  Bible  says,  and  there  is  a  world  of 
meaning  in  the  words,  "Joseph  knew  his  brethren,  but  they 
knew  not  him". 

All  these  days,  according  to  rabbinical  tradition,  he  had 
kept  informed  of  their  conduct.  He  had  been  at  a  loss  to 
explain  why  they  had  wandered  all  over  the  country,  instead 
of  coming  immediately  to  purchase  grain.  He  could  not  be 


310  The  Book  of  Genesis 

sure  yet  what  kind  of  men  his  brothers  really  were;  therefore 
he  determined  to  try  them  thoroughly,  before  revealing  him- 
self to  them.  Besides  he  was  disappointed  when  he  saw 
that  they  were  only  ten,  and  that  Benjamin  was  not  among 
them.  So  he  pretended  to  be,  as  he  seemed  to  them,  a  high 
Egyptian  officer,  speaking  only  through  an  interpreter,  and 
therefore  apparently  not  understanding  their  language.  And 
because  they  had  first  wandered  all  over  Egypt,  he  spoke  to 
them  roughly  and  charged  them  with  being  spies.  It  was 
the  beginning  of  their  trial.  We  need  not  recount  it  here, 
for  the  Bible  tells  it  graphically  and  convincingly  and  with 
touching  pathos.  We  can  not  but  feel  all  the  regret  of  these 
sinning  men,  and  the  sincerity  of  their  longing  for  the  hap- 
piness of  their  old  father  during  the  few  years  remaining  to 
him.  No  sacrifice  was  too  great  to  safeguard  the  old  man, 
and  at  least  prevent  increase  of  his  sorrow.  All  this  Joseph 
realized  fully,  and  his  heart  went  out  to  his  brothers.  With 
difficulty  could  he  restrain  himself,  and  often  he  was  on  the 
point  of  revealing  himself  and  terminating  their  trial  and 
punishment;  for  it  was  indeed  a  punishment  for  their  sin, 
and  they  fully  recognized  it  as  such,  and  that  they  had 
merited  it.  But  he  held  himself  in  check,  until  he  could  be 
sure  that  they  had  truly  repented  and  had  departed  com- 
pletely from  their  evil  ways.  Besides  he  must  see  Benjamin 
at  all  costs.  So  the  trial  went  on. 

The  climax  was  reached  when,  in  the  moment  of  greatest 
despair,  when  it  seemed  that  Benjamin  must  remain  behind, 
also  like  his  brother,  a  slave  in  Egypt,  and  their  father  must 
thus  be  doubly  bereaved  of  his  two  best-beloved,  Judah 
stepped  forth  from  among  his  brothers  and  spoke  these  heroic 
words,  "Let  thy  servant,  I  pray  thee,  abide  instead  of  the 
lad  a  bondman  to  my  lord,  and  let  the  lad  go  up  with  his 
brethren".  He  realized  full  well  all  that  this  meant,  that 
never  again  would  he  behold  his  own  children,  and  that  the 
lot  of  a  slave  in  Egypt  was  hard  indeed.  But  not  a  thought 


Joseph  and  his  Brothers  311 

did  he  give  to  all  this.  Simply  and  frankly  he  offered  him- 
self, in  order  that  the  old  father  might  at  least  be  spared  the 
sorrow  of  losing  his  beloved  Benjamin.  It  is  one  of  the 
noblest  acts  in  all  literature  and  history,  Judah  thus  offering 
himself  for  the  sake  of  his  father  and  his  brother.  It  was 
just  the  reverse  of  the  sentiment  which  had  prompted  the 
brothers  when,  regardless  of  the  old  man's  happiness,  they 
had  ruthlessly  sold  Joseph  as  a  slave  into  Egypt.  It  proved 
how  completely  Judah  and  his  brothers  had  changed. 

Joseph  needed  no  further  proof.  Weeping  he  threw  him- 
self into  their  arms,  exclaiming,  "I  am  Joseph;  doth  my 
father  yet  live?"  And  when  his  startled  brothers,  still  fear- 
ing Joseph's  vengeance,  hastened  to  confess  their  guilt,  he 
reassured  them  with  the  significant  words,  the  thought  run- 
ning through  the  entire  story,  "It  was  not  you  that  sent  me 
hither,  but  God ;  for  God  did  send  me  before  you  to  pre- 
serve life".  God's  hand  was  in  the  whole  event,  for  a  won- 
derful purpose  of  good.  So  Joseph  forgave  his  brothers  and 
they  were  once  more  united  in  true,  brotherly  love.  We  are 
reminded  of  the  inspiring  sentence  from  the  wise  Book  of 
Proverbs,  • 

Hatred    stirreth    up    strifes; 

But   love   covereth   all   transgressions. 

So  it  was  throughout  the  entire  story  of  Joseph.  Hatred 
and  envy  had  stirred  up  much  strife,  and,  as  is  always  the 
case,  had  brought  sorrow  and  pain  to  all ;  but  at  last  true 
love  had  covered  all  transgressions,  and  had  caused  all 
wrongs  which  Joseph  had  done  to  his  brothers  and  they  to 
him,  to  be  forgiven  and  forgotten.  We  understand  now  how 
truly  hatred,  even  when  the  wrong  be  real  and  great,  is  the 
part  of  folly,  and  brings  only  strife  and  sorrow,  and  that 
forgiveness  is  always  the  part  of  wisdom  and  love.  And 
though  it  be  one  of  the  hardest  lessons  in  life,  let  us  still 


312  The  Book  of  Genesis 

learn,   like  Joseph,  to   forgive  and   forget,   that   life  may  be 
sweeter,  happier,  and  richer  for  everybody. 

So  Joseph's  brothers  stood  the  hard  and  bitter  test,  even 
as  he  had  stood  it,  and  proved  fully  that  they  had  been 
purified  of  all  thoughts  and  desires  of  evil,  and  were  fit  for 
great  and  noble  things.  So  God  tries  us  all  to  learn  whether 
we  are  worthy  to  do  the  great  and  good  work  He  has  in 
mind  for  all  creatures.  Those  whom  He  would  use  for  the 
greatest  tasks  He  tries  most  severely.  We  have  seen  this 
in  the  case  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob,  and  Joseph.  And  the 
supreme  test  is  always  that,  like  Judah,  we  be  willing  to  go 
into  slavery,  or  even  to  lay  down  our  life  for  others.  For 
this  is  the  truest  test  of  unselfishness,  and  unselfishness  is 
the  first  requisite  in  the  service  of  God,  the  willingness  to 
do  for  others,  even  the  humblest  of  God's  creatures,  regard- 
less of  all  that  it  may  cost. 

The  rabbis  used  to  tell  a  charming  story  of  the  way  in 
which  God  tried  Moses,  to  determine  whether  he  was  fit  to 
become  the  deliverer  and  leader  of  Israel.  One  day,  when 
Moses  was  herding  the  sheep  of  his  father-in-law  in  the 
.wilderness,  he  saw  a  little  lamb  leave  the  flock  and  hurry 
away.  He  followed  eagerly,  to  bring  it  back,  but  the  lamb 
ran  on  so  rapidly  that  Moses  had  to  go  a  long  way  before 
he  could  overtake  it.  He  became  foot-sore  and  weary,  yet 
still  the  lamb  hastened  on,  just  beyond  his  reach,  and  still 
the  faithful  shepherd  hastened  after  it.  At  last  the  lamb 
came  to  a  spring,  and  drank  eagerly  of  its  cool  waters.  Then 
Moses  understood.  "Poor  creature",  he  murmured,  thou 
wast  thirsty  and  so  hurried  ever  on,  away  from  my  out- 
stretched hand,  and  I  did  not  understand.  Now  thou  art 
faint  and  worn,  and  canst  not  retrace  thy  steps".  So, 
weary  and  spent  though  he  was,  Moses  took  the  little  lamb 
on  his  own  shoulder,  and  brought  it  back  in  safety  to  the 
flock,  and  gently  put  it  down  beside  its  mother.  Then  he 
heard  God  calling  softly  to  him,  with  the  sound  of  his  own 


Joseph  and  his  Brothers  313 

father's  voice,  "Thou  hast  a  tender  heart  for  all  My  crea- 
tures;  thou  art  a  gentle  and  faithful  shepherd  of  the  flocks 
of  men;  now  thou  art  called  to  shepherd  the  flocks  of  God". 
So  Moses  was  tried,  and  so  are  we  all  tried.  May  we  all 
stand  the  test,  as  did  he  and  Abraham  and  Isaac  and  Jacob 
and  Joseph  and  his  brothers,  our  fathers,  and  may  we  all 
be  strong  to  do  the  will  and  the  work  of  God,  our  Father 
in  Heaven. 

NOTES 

XLII,  9.  With  this  verse  Joseph's  dreams  that  his  brothers  would 
one  day  bow  down  to  him,  are  dramatically  fulfilled. 

V.  13.  The  answer  of  Joseph's  brothers  to  him,  "We  are  twelve 
brethren,  the  sons  of  one  man  in  the  land  of  Canaan",  is  full  of 
meaning  and  inspiration.  As  indicated  in  a  previous  lesson,  they 
express  most  forcibly  our  fundamental  idea  of  Jewish  brotherhood 
and  unity.  Regardless  of  where  Jews  may  dwell,  what  languages 
they  may  speak,  how  they  may  dress  and  worship,  we  are  still  and 
always,  "brethren,  the  sons  of  one  man  in  the  land  of  Canaan".  To 
this  one  man  all  our  traditions  go  back,  and  from  him  we  mark  the 
beginning,  in  a  way,  of  our  Jewish  consciousness.  The  teacher  may 
profitably  reenforce  in  this  connection  the  lesson  of  Jewish  brother- 
hood and  Jewish  descent,  already  set  forth  in  Lesson  III. 

V.  24.  Reuben,  the  oldest  brother,  had  by  his  words,  spoken  in 
Joseph's  hearing,  proved  his  innocence  and  his  good  intentions  with 
regard  to  Joseph  at  the  time  when  the  latter  was  sold  into  Egypt. 
Therefore,  it  is  implied,  Joseph  has  Simeon,  the  next  oldest,  and  the 
one  therefore  most  responsible  for  the  wrong  done  to  him,  cast  into 
prison.  This  was  the  ifirst  instance  of  what  must  have  seemed  to  the 
brothers  a  mysterious  power  possessed  by  this  strange  Egyptian  to 
read  their  innermost  thoughts  and  rate  them  all  in  their  proper  order 
and  at  their  true  value.  Other  instances  follow,  and  contribute 
greatly  to  the  dramatic  effect  of  the  story. 

V.  25.  Their  money  is  put  into  their  sacks,  partly  as  a  test  of 
their  honesty,  and  partly  as  an  additional  inducement  for  them  to 
return. 

V.  37,  telling  that  Reuben  offered  his  two  sons  as  surety  for  the 
safe  return  of  Benjamin,  is  a  duplicate  of  XLIII,  9,  which  tells 
that  Judah  became  surety  therefor.  The  two  verses  are  from  two 
different  versions  of  the  Joseph  story.  The  Judah  version  was  the 


314 


The  Book  of  Genesis 


one  current  in  the  southern  kingdom,  of  which  Judah  was  the  lead- 
ing tribe.  For  this  reason  it  ascribed  to  the  traditional  ancestor  of 
the  tribe  of  Judah  the  role  of  the  noble  and  self-sacrificing  leader 
and  spokesman  among  the  brothers,  which  the  other  version,  com- 
posed in  the  northern  kingdom,  assigned  to  Reuben  the  oldest 
brother. 

XLIII,  7  shows  how  greatly  the  brothers  were  impressed  by  the 
Egyptian's  inexplicable  and  seemingly  supernatural  knowledge  of 
their  private  family  affairs,  of  which,  so  they  believed,  they  had  them- 
selves disclosed  not  a  thing  to  him.  It  is  a  most  effective  and 
artistic  touch. 


Ancient   Egyptians   at   Dinner 

V.  32.  Probably,  as  is  usually  explained,  the  Egyptians  did  not 
eat  with  the  Israelites  because  the  animals  whose  flesh  was  eaten  by 
the  latter,  were  sacred  among  the  Egyptians;  cf.  Exodus  VIII,  22. 

V.  33.  The  rabbis  interpreted  this  verse  to  mean  that  Joseph 
appointed  his  seat  at  the  table  to  each  in  the  order  of  their  ages. 
The  brothers,  noticing  this,  and  remembering  also  that  Joseph  had 
unerringly  selected  Simeon,  the  one  among  them  most  responsible  for 
the  wrong  done  to  Joseph,  to  be  cast  into  prison,  were  astounded, 
and  regarded  this  as  further  proof  that  Joseph  must  be  possessed 
of  occult  powers  and  knowledge.  This  impression  was  heightened 
by  the  reference  to  the  pitcher  with  which  Joseph  practiced  divination 
(XLIV,  2,  5,  15).  All  this  adds  greatly  to  the  dramatic  force  of  the 
story,  and  evidences  further  the  supreme  artistic  powers  of  the 
authors.  Divination  by  means  of  water  poured  into  oil,  or  oil 
poured  into  water,  while  the  diviner,  usually  a  priest,  notices  the 


Joseph  and  his  Brothers 


315 


An  Egyptian  Divining  Bowl 

form  which  the  globules  assume,  and  their  position  at  either  the  top 
or  bottom  of  the  pitcher,  and  from  this  prognosticates  the  future, 
was  common  in  the  ancient  Orient,  particularly  in  Babylonia.  This 
seems  to  have  been  the  form  of  divination  implied  in  the  use  of  the 
pitcher  by  Joseph. 

XLV,  8.  By  "father"  is  probably  meant  counsellor,  the  one  with 
whom  Pharaoh  regularly  consulted  before  doing  anything,  and  on 
whose  bidding  therefore  he  always  acted;  it  implies  therefore  a 
person  with  authority  even  over  Pharaoh;  cf.  Trumbull,  Studies  in 
Oriental  Social  Life,  237-254. 

V.  10.  The  land  of  Goshen  was  presumably  that  portion  of  Egypt 
just  adjacent  to  the  Isthmus  of  Suez,  a  district  hardly  capable  of 
agriculture,  but  suitable  for  sheep-herding,  the  evident  occupation  of 
Joseph's  brothers.  This  district  has  always  been  a  favorite  resort 
of  Semitic  nomads  from  the  Arabian  Desert,  who  sought  refuge  in 
Egypt.  We  can  readily  understand  that,  if  the  Israelites  thus  dwelt 
upon  the  eastern  border  of  Egypt,  their  eventual  exodus  was  greatly 
facilitated. 


316  The  Book  of  Genesis 


XXIII 

JOSEPH  AND  JACOB 
(Genesis   XLVI-XLVII,    12) 

The  days  of  the  years  of  my  sojourning  are  a  hundred  and  thirty 
years;  few  and  evil  have  been  the  days  of  the  years  of  my  life,  and 
they  have  not  attained  unto  the  days  of  the  years  of  the  life  of  my 
fathers  in  the  days  of  their  sojournings.  (Genesis  XLVII,  9.) 

Not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  My  spirit,  saith  the  Lord  of 
hosts.  (Zechariah  IV,  6.) 

Read  Isaiah  LVIII,  6-7. 

The  story  of  Joseph  is  drawing  to  its  close.  There  is 
still  to  tell  only  how  his  father  and  brothers  came  down  to 
Egypt,  and  how  they  were  received  by  him  and  by  his  proud 
Egyptian  associates. 

From  a  number  of  references  upon  Egyptian  monuments, 
as  well  as  from  the  specific  statement  of  XLIII,  32,  we  know 
that  the  Egyptians  were  none  too  kindly  disposed  to  the 
Semitic  shepherds  of  western  Asia,  who  from  time  to  time 
sought  shelter  and  sustenance  in  Egypt.  Sheep  and  cattle 
herding  was  regarded  by  the  Egyptians  as  a  menial  occupa- 
tion, fit  only  for  people  of  the  lowest  class.  Nevertheless 
Joseph  had  never  concealed  the  fact  that  he  was  a  Hebrew, 
whose  people  were  shepherds,  even  though  the  duties  and 
obligations  of  his  office  compelled  him  to  live  and  dress  as. 
an  Egyptian,  and  to  conform  to  all  the  forms  and  practices 
of  Egyptian  culture.  Even  amid  his  Egyptian  environment, 
of  which  he  felt  himself  an  integral  part,  and  the  develop- 
ment of  the  civilization  of  which  he  sought  to  promote  in 
every  way  possible,  he  knew  how  to  remain  loyal  to  the 


Joseph  and  Jacob  317 

traditions  of  his  past,  and  to  safeguard  and  live  by  the 
spiritual  truths  and  principles  which  he  had  brought  with  him 
as  a  precious  heritage  from  his  father's  house. 

Nor  did  he  hesitate  to  declare  before  the  assembled 
Egyptian  court,  his  cultured  friends  and  titled  associates,  that 
these  Israelite  shepherds,  plain  and  unpolished,  and  possibly 
even  uncouth  though  they  must  have  seemed  to  the  Egyptian 
lords  and  ladies,  were  his  brothers.  Nor  did  he  shrink,  cul- 
tured Egyptian  though  he  was  outwardly,  from  embracing 
and  kissing  them,  and  inquiring  lovingly  and  anxiously  after 
the  welfare  of  his  aged  father.  His  sole  concern  was  for 
their  safety  and  happiness  during  these  seven  years  of 
famine.  He  might  easily  have  provided  for  them  in  their 
old  home  in  Palestine,  by  sending  supplies  to  them  at  reg- 
ular intervals.  He  might  thus  have  spared  himself  the  con- 
stant reminder  of  his  lowly,  and  from  the  cultured  Egyptian 
standpoint,  even  base,  shepherd,  Israelite  origin,  which  their 
presence  must  necessarily  furnish.  But  no  such  thought 
entered  his  mind  even  for  a  moment.  He  was  not  ashamed 
of  his  origin,  lowly  and  mean  though  it  might  seem  to  some, 
who  were  animated  by  false  standards  of  cheap  and  super- 
ficial culture.  On  the  contrary,  he  gloried  in  this  origin,  for 
he  realized  full  well  that  to  it  he  owed  all  the  spiritual 
knowledge,  insight  and  strength  which  he  possessed,  which 
had  alone  enabled  him  to  endure  all  trials,  and  to  rise  to  his 
exalted  and  honorable  station,  and  which  now  prompted  him 
to  use  all  the  powers  and  privileges  of  his  high  office,  not 
for  his  own  selfish  advantage,  but  for  the  benefit  and  bless- 
ing of  his  fellowmen.  In  comparison  with  these  spiritual 
treasures,  Egyptian  culture  and  refinement  were  as  nothing, 
except  in  so  far  as  they  heightened  the  spiritual  value  of  the 
former,  and  lent  direction  and  force  to  their  application. 

Nor  was  he  'ashamed  of  his  father  and  his  brothers.  In- 
stead he  proudly  presented  five  of  his  brothers  and  also  his 
aged  father  to  the  mighty  Pharaoh  himself.  And  instead  of 


318  The  Book  of  Genesis 

regarding  them  with  contempt,  as  some  might  have  ex- 
pected, Pharaoh  accepted  them  as  they  were,  appraised  them 
at  their  true  worth,  and  appointed  them  overseers  of  his  own 
flocks  and  herds. 

Loyalty  has  always  been  regarded1  by  Judaism  as  a  prime 
virtue,  loyalty  to  kindred,  to  home,  to  the  past,  loyalty  to 
religion,  to  country,  to  God.  The  prophet  declared  that 
among  the  things  more  pleasing  to  God  than  even  sacrifice, 
fasting,  and  ritual  worship,  were, 

To  deal  thy  bread  to  the  hungry, 

And  that  thou  bring  the  poor  that  are  cast  out  to  thy  house; 

When  thou  seest  the  naked,  that  thou  caver  him, 

And  that  thou  hide  not  thyself  from  thine  own  flesh. 

There  is  a  powerful  temptation  when  success,  prosperity, 
and  social  advancement  come,  to  leave  poor  or  unprogressive 
relatives  and  friends  behind,  to  feel  that  we  have  outgrown 
them,  and  that  circumstances  compel,  new  associations.  We 
find  it  the  easiest  and  most  natural  thing  in  the  world  to 
excuse,  or  even  to  justify,  such  a  course.  But  to  everything 
that  expediency  and  selfish  inclination  may  suggest,  the  word 
of  the  prophet  answers  inexorably, 

Hide  not  thyself  from  thine  own  flesh. 

Loyalty  declares  that  we  may  not  rise  at  the  expense  or  to 
the  neglect  of  others.  Love  and  friendship  which  have  been 
tried  and  tested,  may  not  be  cheaply  cast  aside.  If  we  rise, 
we  must  carry  our  loved  ones  with  us,  to  whatever  station 
we  may  attain.  It  is  told  of  both  President  Garfield  and 
President  McKinley,  two  of  our  martyred  presidents,  that 
when  they  were  inaugurated  into  the  highest  office  of  the 
land,  each  insisted  that  his  aged  mother  come  from  her  dis- 
tant home,  to  be  at  his  side  on  that  great  occasion.  During 
the  entire  ceremony,  while  her  son  was  delivering  his  in- 
augural speech,  and  outlining  .his  policies  of  administration, 


Joseph  and  Jacob  319 

there  sat  each  mother  in  her  simple,  black  dress,  amid  all 
the  magnificence  and  pomp  of  high  officialdom.  And  the 
first  act  of  each  noble  son,  after  he  had  taken  the  solemn 
oath  of  office,  and  the  ceremony  of  inauguration  was  com- 
pleted, was  to  turn  to  his  aged  mother,  with  the  smile  of 
love  and  loyalty  on  his  lips,  and  to  kiss  her  reverently  and 
tenderly  before  all  the  assembled  multitude.  Thereby  he 
proclaimed  to  the  world  that  more  than  to  anyone  else  he 
owed  what  he  was,  and  what  he  might  still  become,  to  his 
mother.  Neither  president  was  permitted  to  complete  his 
term  of  service.  Garfield  died  a  victim  of  the  assassin's  bul- 
let after  only  a  few  months'  of  office,  and  McKinley  suffered 
the  same  fate  almost  immediately  after  his  second  term  had 
begun.  But  each  has  left  an  example  of  exalted  manhood, 
nobility,  and  loyalty,  which  may  well  inspire  the  American 
people  for  generations  to  come.  And  the  story  of  Joseph 
furnishes  a  like  example  and  inspiration  unto  all  the  de- 
scendants of  Jacob. 

And  when  the  old  man,  Jacob,  stood  before  the  mighty 
king,  a  singular  thing  happened.  It  was  not  the  powerful 
king  upon  his  throne,  who  proved  superior,  but  the  old  man, 
in  his  simple  shepherd  garb,  with  long,  flowing  beard,  with 
all  the  marks,  not  only  of  age,  but  also  of  dignity,  of 
vast  experience,  and  of  actual  striving  and  communing  with 
God.  To  Pharaoh's  question,  "How  many  are  the  days  of 
the  years  of  thy  life?"  the  old  man  answered  simply,  "The 
days  of  the  years  of  my  sojourning  are  a  hundred  and  thirty 
years ;  few  and  evil  have  been  the  days  of  the  years  of  my 
life,  and  they  have  not  attained  unto  the  days  of  the  years 
of  the  life  of  my  fathers  in  the  days  of  their  sojournings". 
In  this  answer  there  is  an  intimation  of  deep  wisdom,  of  sad, 
yet  invaluable  experience,  purchased  at  a  great  price,  of  in- 
expressible yearning  to  solve  the  riddle  of  all  the  true  good- 
ness of  life,  which  divine  wisdom  keeps  enshrouded  in  eternal 
mystery,  and  discloses  only  bit  by  bit  to  those  chosen  mortals 


320  The  Book  of  Genesis 

who  seek  earnestly  to  know  God's  way.  And  then  Jacob 
blessed  Pharaoh ;  the  simple,  old  shepherd  blessed  the  mighty 
king;  and  the  latter  bowed  his  head  upon  his  throne,  beneath 
the  old  man's  outstretched  hands. 

This  little  incident  beautifully  illustrates  the  old  Jewish 
virtue  of  reverence  for  old  age.  The  Bible  has  commanded, 
"Thou  shalt  rise  up  before  the  hoary  head,  and  honor  the 
face  of  the  old  man"  (Leviticus  XIX,  32).  It  has  also  said, 

The  hoary  head  is  a  crown  of  glory, 

It  is  found  in  the  way  of  righteousness.     (Proverbs  XVI,  31.) 

and  again, 

The  glory  of  young  men  is  their  strength, 

And  the  beauty  of  old  men  is  the  hoary  head.     (Proverbs  XX,  29.) 

This  virtue  Israel  has  always  cherished,  and  its  young  men 
and  women  have  always  accorded  to  their  elders  and  superi- 
ors in  wisdom,  the  respect  and  reverence  to  which  their  age, 
experience,  and  knowledge  entitled  them.  In  ancient  Israel 
the  elders,  as  they  were  officially  called,  were  the  leaders  and 
counsellors  of  the  people,  to  whom  all  hearkened  readily  and 
willingly.  It  is  told  of  Abimi,  the  pious  son  of  Abahu,  a 
great  and  wise  teacher  of  old,  that  once  he  brought  his  aged 
father  a  drink  of  water  for  which  the  old  man  had  asked. 
But  finding  that  his  father  had  fallen  asleep  in  the  mean- 
time, as  very  old  men  are  liable  to  do,  he  waited  patiently 
and  reverently  and  without  moving,  in  order  not  to  disturb 
his  father,  until  the  latter  awoke,  so  that  he  might  quench 
his  father's  thirst  at  the  earliest  possible  moment.  Thus  he 
literally  fulfilled  the  Biblical  command,  "Thou  shalt  rise  up 
before  the  hoary  head,  and  honor  the  face  of  the  old  man". 
But  even  more,  this  incident  symbolizes  again  the  triumph 
of  the  spiritual  over  the  temporal  and  the  material,  of  eternal 
truth  over  evanescent  might  and  power.  Before  the  dignity 
of  old  age,  knowledge  and  experience,  and  the  wisdom  which 


Joseph  and  Jacob  321 

conies  from  God  alone,  even  the  king  upon  his  throne  must 
bow.  The  prophets  of  Israel  have  exemplified  this  truth  time 
and  again.  Here,  more  than  ever,  Jacob  is  typical  of  Israel, 
the  exponent  of  spiritual  truth  and  power,  even  as  Pharaoh 
upon  his  throne  is  typical  of  all  that  is  material.  In  Jacob's 
words,  and  in  his  acknowledged  superiority  and  authority 
over  Pharaoh,  we  feel  the  full  truth  of  the  prophet's  in- 
spired words, 

''Not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  My  spirit,  saith  the  Lord 
of  hosts." 

The  purpose  of  existence  will  be  attained  at  last,  and  all  life 
will  become  pure  and  holy  and  beautiful,  not  by  might  nor 
by  power,  but  only  by  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  of  hosts.  Jacob 
blessed  Pharaoh;  and  so  Israel,  God's  messenger,  filled  with 
His  spirit,  has  blessed  all  the  nations  of  the  earth.  And 
throughout  the  ages  it  has  safeguarded  and  lived  true  to  its 
God-given  birthright,  to  be  a  blessing  unto  all  the  families 
of  the  earth. 

For  all  Jews  today,  and  particularly  for  us  Jews  in 
America,  this  story  has  a  particularly  pertinent  message.  We 
occupy  a  position  strikingly  similar  to  that  of  Joseph.  We 
dwell  in  an  environment  and  culture  quite  different  from 
those  in  which  our  fathers  dwelt.  We,  too,  with  compara- 
tively few  exceptions,  occupy  in  this  country  positions  of 
honor  and  esteem,  and  even  of  power  and  influence  for  good. 
We  are  loyal  citizens  of  our  nation,  and  gladly  assume  all 
the  responsibilities  and  obligations  of  citizenship.  We  share 
in  its  culture;  we  dress  like  our  fellow-citizens,  and  consort 
freely  with  them ;  and  we  speak  the  language  of  the  country, 
of  which  we  are  an  integral  and  recognized  part.  Yet  this 
does  not  necessitate,  nor  even  imply,  that  we  become  un- 
mindful of  the  traditions  of  our  past,  or  fail  to  cherish  the 
precious  heritage  of  the  spirit,  which  has  descended  to  us 
from  our  fathers,  or  that  we  need  "become  ashamed  of  our 


322  The  Book  of  Genesis 

Israelite  origin.  Rather  the  example  of  Joseph  should  teach 
and  inspire  us  to  realize  that  only  by  living  as  Jews,  in  the 
midst  of  whatever  environment  we  may  come  to  live,  by 
safeguarding  our  ancient  virtues,  and  applying  the  knowledge 
of  God  and  of  the  meaning  and  purpose  of  life  which  Juda- 
ism upholds,  to  the  needs  and  problems  of  our  nation  and 
our  fellowmen,  can  we  realize  our  own  destiny  and  mission, 
and  bring  blessing  and  life  unto  them  in  the  midst  of  spiritual 
famine.  It  is  our  eternal  obligation  to  hold  fast  to  the 
knowledge  of  God  which  .has  been  revealed  to  us,  and  to 
proclaim  this  knowledge  and  God's  law  of  life  unto  all  the 
world,  that  men  may  live  thereby,  and  learn  to  walk  in  God's 
way,  and  realize  the  great  truth  which  Israel  has  ever  pro- 
claimed, "Not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  My  spirit, 
saith  the  Lord  of  hosts".  Thus,  and  thus  alone,  can  we 
bless  the  peoples  among  whom  we  come  to  dwell,  even  as 
Jacob  blessed  Pharaoh. 

And  when  our  brethren  come  to  us  from  lands  of  misery 
and  oppression,  even  as  Joseph's  brethren  came  to  him,  seek- 
ing protection  and  sustenance,  and  the  freedom  and  oppor- 
tunity which  we  already  enjoy,  even  though  they  be  children 
of  different  environments  and  the  products  o.f  adverse  con- 
ditions, and  in  the  eyes  of  some  seem  strange  and  un- 
prepossessing, and  even  uncowth,  and  entirely  different  and 
set  apart  from  the  great  world  about  us,  none  the  less  we 
dare  not  be  ashamed  of  them,  nor  disown  them,  nor  dis- 
claim responsibility  for  them.  They  are  still  our  brethren 
and  our  flesh.  Even  if  we  would  hide  ourselves  from  them 
and  deny  them,  we  could  not,  for  the  world  knows  that  we 
are  brothers.  But  we  seek  not  to  deny  them.  They  are 
our  brothers,  with  the  same  ancestry,  the  same  history  and 
the  same  traditions  behind  them ;  they  come  from  the  same 
original  home;  and  deep  in  their  breasts  they  cherish  the 
same  virtues  and  ideals  of  liberty,  service  and  blessing,  as 
we.  And  we  proudly  welcome  them  and  embrace  them,  and 


Joseph  and  Jacob  323 

present  them  to  the  world  as  our  brothers,  and  we  share  with 
them  all  that  we  have  acquired,  liberty,  opportunity,  citizen- 
ship, culture.  And  at  last  all  superficial  standards  of  judg- 
ment must  fall  away,  and  the  world  must  come  to  regard 
them,  no  longer  as  uncouth  and  despised,  but  as  men,  pos- 
sessed of  all  the  rights  and  powers  of  men,  and  able  to  ac- 
quire in  time  all  the  culture  and  refinements  of  civilization, 
and  to  share  with  their  brethren,  the  Joseph  who  preceded 
them  hither,  the  task  of  bringing  blessing  unto  all  about  them, 
and  unto  all  the  families  of  the  earth,  the  Jewish  blessings 
of  the  spirit,  of  true  living  in  accordance  with  the  law  of 
God.  We  are  the  Joseph  of  today  and  of  this  land;  and  our 
brethren  are  coming  to  us  to  find  protection  and  support, 
freedom  and  opportunity;  and  we  will  not  fail  them.  It  is 
our  Jewish  loyalty  that  speaks.  We  will  never  hide  our- 
selves from  our  own  flesh. 

So  Joseph's  father  and  his  brothers  came  down  to  him 
in  Egypt,  the  land  of  his  triumph  and  glory,  and  he  provided 
lovingly  and  abundantly  for  their  needs.  So,  under  God's 
protection,  they  dwelt  happily  for  many  years,  and  the 
Egyptians  were  blessed  by  their  presence  in  the  land. 

NOTES 

XLVI,  1.     Beer-sheba  lies  on  the  road  from  Hebron  to  Egypt. 

V.  4.  It  was  the  pious  duty  of  the  favorite  son  to  close  the 
eyes  of  his  father  after  death. 

Vv.  8-27  were  inserted  into  the  main  narrative  by  some  late 
writer.  Obviously  they  disturb  the  continuity  of  the  story. 

V.  21  makes  Benjamin  a  grown  man  at  this  time,  with  ten 
children.  It  shows  how  little  this  inserted  passage  accords  with  the 
remainder  of  the  story. 

V.  28  is  the  direct  continuation  of  v.  5  of  the  original  narrative. 

XLVII,  11.  "The  land  of  Rameses",  i.  e.  the  district  bordering 
upon  the  Isthmus  of  Suez,  in  which  the  city  of  Rameses,  built  ac- 
cording to  Biblical  tradition  by  the  Israelite  slaves  (Exodus  III,  11), 
was  situated. 


324  The  Book  of  Genesis 


XXIV 

JACOB'S  BLESSING 
(Genesis  XLVI-L) 

Ye  meant  evil  against  me;  but  God  meant  it  for  good,  to  bring  to 
pass,  as  it  is  this  day,  to  save  much  people  alive.  (Genesis  L,  20.) 

The  law  of  the  Lord  is  perfect,  restoring  the  soul.  (Psalm 
XIX,  8.) 

Read  Psalm  XIX. 

The  wonderful  romance  of  Joseph  is  finished.  It  remains 
merely  to  bring  the  story  to  a  proper  close  by  picturing  the 
happiness  of  the  father  and  brothers  in  Egypt,  and  to  suit- 
ably reenforce  the  central  theme.  For,  as  we  see  now,  all 
these  narratives  are  merely  successive  chapters  of  this  one, 
great  Joseph  story,  and  this  is  most  effectively,  dramatically 
and  artistically  told,  and  is  therefore  one  of  the  very  greatest, 
as  it  is  one  of  the  oldest,  classics  of  the  world's  literature. 
Through  it  all  there  runs  one  central  theme,  which  the  story 
was  intended  by  its  author  or  authors  to  concretely  illustrate. 
It  is  the  thought  of  God's  absolute  providence,  which  guides 
the  destinies  of  men  and  nations  with  fixed  and  wise  pur- 
pose, and  even  out  of  all  the  evil  which  men  do,  somehow, 
in  a  way  passing  human  understanding,  brings  greater  good 
and  blessing  for  all  men.  "Ye  meant  evil  against  me,  but 
God  meant  it  for  good,  to  bring  to  pass,  as  it  is  this  day, 
to  save  much  people  alive",  Joseph  answers  his  brothers, 
when,  after  his  father's  death,  they  fear  that  Joseph  might 
now  avenge  himself  upon  them.  "It  was  not  you  that  sent 
me  hither,  but  God",  in  order  to  fulfil  His  wondrous  pur- 


Jacob's  Blessing  325 

pose  of  good,  for  Israel  and  all  mankind.  We  can  not 
fathom  all  God's  purposes,  nor  measure  all  His  wisdom  and 
love.  We  can  only  say  with  the  Psalmist: 

How   weighty   also  are   Thy   thoughts   unto   me,   O   God ! 
How  great  is  the  sum  of  them!     (Psalm  CXXXIX,  17.) 

And  with  the  great  prophet  of  old,  we  must  say  again,  as 
we  have  already  said  more  than  once: 

For   My  thoughts   are  not  your   thoughts, 

Neither  are  your  ways  My  ways,  saith  the  Lord. 

For  as  the  heavens  are  higher  than  the  earth, 

So  are  My  ways  higher  than  your  ways, 

And  My  thoughts  than  your  thoughts.      (Isaiah  LV,  8-9.) 

We  can  not  measure  God's  wisdom  and  goodness  and  love 
by  our  little,  human  standards.  We  can  only  trust  in  Him 
with  perfect  faith  that,  whatever  happens  to  us  and  to  all 
people,  it  will  somehow  surely  be  for  the  best  in  the  end, 
that  nothing  in  life  merely  happens,  and  above  all,  nothing 
happens  for  evil  alone;  but  God's  hand  is  in  everything,  and 
His  love  watches  over  all  His  children  and  protects  them 
and  leads  them  on,  for  He  is  our  shepherd.  And  so,  when 
grief  and  pain  and  trial  come  to  us,  as  they  must  at  some 
time  come  to  all  men,  we  need  not  despair  nor  complain,  but 
remember  that  everything  cometh  from  God  for  some  deep 
purpose  of  goodness  and  love,  even  though  we  may  not 
understand. 

One  story  of  the  rabbis  well  illustrates  this  thought. 
There  was  once  a  slave  upon  whom  his  master  had  bestowed 
many  gifts,  and  whom  he  had  always  treated  with  uniform 
kindness.  And  the  slave  loved  his  master  in  return  and  did 
his  every  bidding  loyally  and  gladly.  But  one  day  the  friends 
of  the  master  said  to  him,  "Thy  slave  loves  thee  only  because 
of  thy  good  gifts.  Withhold  these,  or  do  evil  unto  him,  and 
thou  wilt  see  his  love  vanish".  Thereupon  the  master  sum- 
moned the  slave,  and  silently  gave  to  him  some  fruit  which 


326  The  Book  of  Genesis 

was  exceedingly  bitter.  The  slave  took  the  fruit  as  he  had 
taken  all  the  master's  gifts,  and  ate  it  without  a  word  or  a 
moment's  hesitation.  Nor  did  he  offer  the  slightest  objec- 
tion or  question,  nor  make  the  least  sign  that  the  fruit  had 
a  bitter  and  unpleasant  taste.  When  he  had  finished,  one  of 
the  master's  friends  asked,  "How  couldst  thou  eat  so  bitter 
a  fruit  without  complaining  or  making  some  sign?"  But  the 
faithful  slave  answered,  "My  master  has  always  treated  me 
with  utmost  kindness  and  love.  He  has  showered  untold 
blessings  upon  me.  And  everything  he  has  done,  I  have  seen 
repeatedly,  has  behind  it  some  wise  purpose  of  goodness 
and  love.  Now  that  for  the  first  time  in  all  my  life  he  gives 
me  something  bitter  of  which  to  taste,  should  I  doubt,  or 
complain,  or  refuse  to  do  his  bidding?  Should  I  rather  not 
take  the  occasional  bitter  which  he  gives  to  me,  together  with 
the  abundant  sweet,  and  trust  that  this,  too,  is  for  good, 
even  though  I  do  not  understand?" 

This  is  the  true  faith  in  God  which  Judaism  has  always 
taught,  and  in  which  its  followers  have  always  found  strength 
and  courage  to  bear  the  many  hard  and  cruel  blows  which 
have  befallen  them.  Israel's  history  has  been  bitter  indeed, 
and  full  to  overflowing  with  trial  and  suffering  and  sacrifice. 
But  Israel's  men  and  women  have  always  trusted  in  God, 
the  God  of  their  fathers,  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  and 
have  never  hesitated  nor  doubted  nor  complained  too  much. 
Bravely  and  nobly  they  have  made  their  sacrifices  for  God, 
and  calmly  they  have  repeated  in  absolute  faith  and  trust 
the  inspiring  words  of  the  great  sufferer  of  old, 

Though  He  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  Him.     (Job  XIII,  15.) 

Though  the  way  oft  seemed  too  long  and  hard,  and  the  goal 
was  hidden  in  darkness,  yet  they  knew  with  perfect  faith 
that  God  was  still  leading  them  on  in  His  pillar  of  cloud 
and  fire  unto  His  promised  land  of  peace  and  happiness  and 
love.  And  though  men  meant  evil  against  them,  still  in  His 


Jacob's  Blessing  327 

own  wise  way  God  meant  it  for  good,  that  Israel  might  the 
better  fulfil  its  mission  of  being  a  blessing  unto  mankind. 

We  can  not  help  thinking  of  that  other  beautiful  story 
from  our  Bible,  of  Moses  asking  that  he  might  behold  God's 
face,  and  of  the  answer  which  came  to  him,  "Thou  canst 
not  see  My  face,  for  man  shall  not  see  Me  and  live"  (Ex- 
odus XXXIII,  20).  So  it  has  ever  been  with  man.  Ever 
he  has  sought  to  see  God's  face,  and  to  know  all  His  ways 
and  all  His  wise  and  loving  purposes.  But  ever  the  answer 
has  come  back,  "Thou  canst  not  see  My  face,  for  man  shall 
not  see  Me  and  live".  To  mortal  man  it  is  not  given  to 
see  God  face  to  face,  nor  to  read  aright  all  the  wondrous 
mystery  of  His  ways  and  His  purposes.  We  can  only,  at 
the  most,  through  God's  favor,  catch  some  fleeting  glimpse 
of  His  back,  and  hear  His  true  name  whispered,  as  He 
passes  before  us  in  all  His  majesty  and  glory.  Yet  from  all 
this  we  may  form  some  dim,  vague  picture  of  His  true 
greatness  and  goodness- "and  love.  In  all  the  world  round 
about  us,  in  all  the  events  of  life  and  history,  of  Israel's  his- 
tory, and  of  our  nation's  history,  and  of  the  world's  history, 
we  see  countless  evidences  of  God's  being  and  power,  and 
of  His  wisdom  and  goodness  and  love,  and  of  His  divine, 
all-protecting  providence.  God  is  everywhere  and  His  hand 
is  in  all  things,  for  good  and  blessing  and  love.  And  so  we 
declare  with  the  Psalmist : 

O  Lord,  our  Lord, 

How  glorious  is  Thy  name  in  all  the  earth! 

Whose  majesty   is   rehearsed   above   the   heavens. 

When   I   behold   Thy  heavens,   the   work  of   Thy   fingers, 

The   moon   and   the   stars   which   Thou   hast   established ; 

What  is  man   that  Thou  art  mindful  of  him? 

And  the  son  of  man,  that  Thou   thinkest  of  him? 

Yet  Thou  hast  made  him  but  little  lower  than  the  angels, 

And  hast  crowned  him  with  glory  and  honor. 

Thou   hast   made  him  to   have   dominion   over  the  works   of  Thy 

hands ; 
Thou  hast  put  all  things  under  his   feet.      (Psalm  VIII,  2-7.) 


328  The  Book  of  Genesis 

And  we  think  of  the  words  of  that  other  inspiring  Psalm : 

The   heavens    declare   the    glory   of   God, 
\nd  the  'firmament  showeth   His   Handiwork; 
Day  unto  day  uttereth  speech, 
And  night  unto  night  revealeth  knowledge. 

Yet,  despite  His  grandeur  and  His  power,  He  is  mindful  of 
His  children,  and  in  love  has  given  them  His  law  to  guide 
them.  And  so  the  Psalm  continues : 

The  law  of  the  Lord  is  perfect,  restoring  the  soul; 

The  testimony  of  the  Lord  is   sure,   making  wise  the   simple. 

The  precepts  of  the  Lord  are  right,  rejoicing  the  heart; 

The  commandment  of  the  Lord  is  pure,   enlightening  the  eyes, 

The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  clean,  enduring  forever- 

The  ordinances  of  the  Lord  are  true,  they  are  righteous  altogether. 

This  is  the  real  faith  in  the  God  of  our  fathers,  which 
every  true  Jew  must  feel  and  understand  and  accept,  that  it 
become  the  guide  and  blessing  of  his  entire  life.  This  is 
the  lesson  taught  impressively  and  convincingly  by  the  story 
of  Joseph.  And  if  we  but  learn  the  lesson,  and  live  in  ac- 
cord with  it  all  our  lives,  then  we  shall  be  true  Jews,  worthy 
of  the  birthright  of  our  fathers,  which  has,  through  God's 
providence,  come  down  to  us  through  all  these  generations. 
The  dying  Jacob  blessed  his  two  little  grandchildren  by  de- 
claring that  in  later  years  all  Israel  would  bless  its  children 
in  their  names  with  the  beautiful  words,  "God  make  thee  as 
Ephraim  and  as  Manasseh".  Through  all  the  centuries  since 
then,  when  the  Jewish  father  came  home  from  the  synagogue 
on  Friday,. jCye,  -her  first  kissed  his  beloved  wife  and  blessed 
her;  thenboheii-laid  his  hands  upon  the  heads  of  his  little 
children,  with  the  words  of  father  Jacob,  "God  make  thee 

as  Ephraim  anoVas  Mariasseh"..    I£  we  but  live  true  to  our 

j      .efeanfi  aril  FLT.       .  Ljtn  .  ,. 

sacred  heritage,  and  strive  to  realize  the  purpose  of  our  lives, 

and)  t0() becpme. ,as  God  has  commanded  us  through  Abraham, 

a  blessing  unto  all  the  families  of  the  earth,  then  shall  we, 

.HI7   ml 


Jacob's  Blessing  329 

too,  merit  the  beautiful  and  comforting  blessing  of  our 
fathers  of  old,  "God  make  thee  as  Ephraim  and  as  Manas- 
seh". 

The  rabbis  also  told  that  our  father  Jacob  did  not  really 
die,  that  God  merely  kissed  him,  and  thus  released  his  soul 
from  his  body.  His  body  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  sepulchre 
of  his  fathers.  But  his  spirit  hovers  over  and  about  us,  his 
children,  blessing  us  by  his  presence,  and  smiling  the  smile 
of  love  and  happiness,  when  any  of  his  descendants  performs 
one  single  act  which  brings  blessing  unto  others,  and  so 
helps  to  fulfil  the  birthright  of  Abraham  and  Israel. 

One  other  thought,  the  rabbis  remind  us,  these  closing 
chapters  of  Genesis  suggest.  Abraham  and  Isaac  had  sought 
to  bless  but  one  son  each,  and  thereby  they  caused  enmity 
and  strife  between  their  children.  But  on  his  deathbed  Jacob 
summoned  his  sons  and  blessed  them  all  equally,  and  bade 
them  stand  together  and  become  strong  in  each  other's  love 
and  help.  They  had  realized  the  evil  of  family  strife  and 
discord,  and  they  had  repented  of  their  crime  against  their 
brother.  Thereafter  they  remained  united  as  their  father 
had  bidden  them,  and  not  they  alone,  but  their  descendants 
as  well.  Thus  in  time,  the  people  of  Israel  came  into  exist- 
ence, and  we  are  here  today.  It  is  the  best  proof  of  the 
great  truth,  so  well  exemplified  in  the  history  of  our  own 
beloved  American  nation,  that  in  union  there  is  strength. 

It  reminds  us  of  one  other  of  the  many  beautiful  stories 
which  the  rabbis  used  to  tell.  In  the  beginning,  when  the 
world  lay  newly  created  by  the  word  of  God,  the  waters 
rolled  in  great  billows,  and  beat  against  the  very  throne  of 
the  Creator.  Then  God  spoke  His  word,  and  the  waves 
were  gathered  together  into  one  great  mass,  the  sea,  and 
the  earth  rose  trembling  from  amidst  the  waters.  But  the 
sea  still  poured  its  waves  mercilessly  into  all  the  deep  val- 
leys, between  the  high  mountains ;  and  one  wave  called  to 
another,  "Come  and  let  us  batter  down  these  lofty  peaks. 


330  The  Book  of  Genesis 

We  are  the  strongest  force  which  God  has  created,  and  we 
will  work  our  will".  But  God  sternly  rebuked  them,  "Why 
boast  ye  of  your  strength?  I  shall  send  the  sand  to  bar 
your  way".  But  the  waves  laughed  and  mocked  when  they 
saw  the  tiny  grains  of  sand,  and  said,  "What  foes  are  you? 
One  of  us  can  destroy  you  all".  But  into  the  grains  of  sand 
God  had  put  a  bit  of  His  divine  wisdom.  "Hearken  to  the 
boast  of  our  enemies,  the  waves,  they  said.  It  is  true  that 
should  one  of  us  be  separated  from  the  rest,  he  could  ac- 
complish nothing,  but  must  be  blown  away  by  the  wind.  Let 
us  therefore  hold  close  together  and  strengthen  each  other. 
Thereby  shall  we  do  the  will  of  our  Maker,  and  overcome 
our  enemy".  Ever  since  the  tiny  grains  on  the  seashore 
have  held  together  in  close  embrace.  And  though  the  waves 
beat  upon  them,  all  their  beating  merely  binds  the  grains  of 
sand  closer  together.  Ever  they  bar  the  way  of  their  enemy, 
the  waves,  as  these  roll  in  upon  the  land.  And  here  and 
there  the  sand  has  even  forced  the  proud  waves  back  into 
narrower  confines. 

In  peace  and  unity  and  brotherly  love  and  cooperation 
lies  true  strength  to  do  the  will  of  God.  So  Jacob  com- 
manded his  sons,  and  ever  since  all  Israel  has  lived,  with  but 
occasional  forgettings  now  and  then,  yet  forgettings  which 
have  always  brought  misfortune  and  misery,  as  brothers, 
strengthening  each  other  and  helping  each  other.  Still  today 
our  brothers  call  unto  us  for  help  and  support.  And  never 
dare  we  forget  the  words  which  Joseph's  brothers  spoke  to 
him,  as  true  today  as  then,  "We  are  twelve  brethren,  the 
sons  of  one  man  in  the  land  of  Canaan".  All  Israel  are 
brothers,  united  by  descent  from  father  Jacob,  and  by  com- 
mon faith  in  the  God  of  our  fathers,  the  God  of  all  man- 
kind; and  all  Israel  share  in  the  glorious  birthright  of 
Abraham.  In  union  and  peace  and  love  lies  our  strength. 
Laboring  in  this  spirit  of  brotherhood,  and  with  complete 
faith  in  God,  we  shall  be  strong- to  do  His  will  and  to  fulfil 


Jacob's  Blessing  331 

the  purpose  for  which  He  has  created  us,  and  has  protected 
us  through  the  centuries,  to  be  a  blessing  unto  all  the  families 
of  the  earth.  And  at  last,  through  our  faith  and  our  labors 
and  our  sacrifices,  our  mission  will  be  fulfilled;  then  the 
hope  of  the  ages  will  be  realized,  the  goal  of  existence  will 
be  attained.  Then,  not  Israel  alone,  but  all  mankind  will  be 
united  in  eternal  brotherhood  and  love;  then  hatred  and 
strife  will  no  more  be  known  in  all  the  earth,  but  all  men 
will  unite  as  brothers  to  do  the  will  of  God,  the  Father  of  all. 

The  Bible  tells  that  when  the  dying  Jacob  gathered  his 
sons  about  his  bed  for  blessing,  he  addressed  them  with  these 
words,  "Hearken  unto  Israel,  your  father".  It  was  a  solemn 
word  of  admonition,  spoken  at  a  solemn  moment.  But  by 
a  slight  change  in  the  vocalization  of  one  little  word  of  two 
letters,  the  rabbis  gave  to  it  even  deeper  and  richer  meaning. 
By  the  omission  of  one  little  dot  under  a  letter,  the  word 
which  means  "unto"  came  to  mean  "God".  And  so  they 
interpreted  the  opening  words  of  Jacob's  blessing  of  his 
sons,  "Hearken;  the  God  of  Israel  is  your  Father".  It  was 
a  declaration  unto  his  sons  and  unto  all  Israel  of  the  unity 
and  the  fatherhood  of  God,  which  Israel  has  ever  proclaimed. 
And  the  rabbis  told  that  Jacob  continued  to  address  his  sons, 
"Perhaps  there  is  doubt  in  your  hearts  about  God".  But  as 
one  man  they  answered  him  with  the  ringing  words,  Sh'ma 
y Israel,  Adonai  Elohenu,  Adonai  E\ad,  "Hear,  O  Israel, 
the  Lord  our  God,  the  Lord  is  One"  (Deuteronomy  VI,  4). 
Their  words  had  a  double  meaning;  for  under  the  name 
Israel  they  were  addressing  both  Israel  their  father,  and 
Israel,  their  descendants  to  come.  And  when  Jacob  heard 
their  declaration  of  faith  and  of  self-consecration  to  the 
cause  of  the  God  whose  unity  they  had  proclaimed,  he  mur- 
mured the  response,  Baruch  shem  k'vod  malchutho  I'olam 
va'ed,  "Praised  be  the  name  of  his  glorious  kingdom  forever 
and  ever". 

Since  that  time  the  children  of  Israel  have  repeated  these 


332  The  Book  of  Genesis 

words  every  morning  and  every  evening,  "Hear,  O  Israel, 
the  Lord  our  God,  the  Lord  is  One.  Praised  be  the  name 
of  His  glorious  kingdom  forever  and  ever".  Even  as  spoken 
by  the  sons  of  Jacob,  so  also  with  us  today  they  have  a  two- 
fold meaning.  They  are  addressed  to  the  fathers  and  the 
generations  of  the  past,  and  still  declare  our  faith,  that  their 
God,  the  God  of  Israel,  is  our  Father  today,  even  as  He  was 
of  old,  and  that  to  His  cause  and  His  service  we  consecrate 
ourselves,  even  as  did  the  patriarchs,  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob.  They  are  addressed  also  to  the  future  generations  of 
Israel,  our  children  who  will  come  after  us,  bidding  them 
realize  that  the  God  of  Israel  is  one  and  eternal,  and  that 
He  will  be  their  Father,  too,  and  they  will  be  His  children 
and  His  servants  and  witnesses,  even  as  were  their  fathers. 
Still  today  the  blessing  of  Jacob  rests  upon  us,  his  children, 
and  his  words  ring  in  our  ears,  "Hearken ;  the  God  of  Israel 
is  your  Father".  And  there  is  no  doubt  in  our  hearts  as  we 
answer  day  by  day  with  the  declaration  of  Israel's  faith  and 
Israel's  eternal  consecration  to  its  sacred  mission,  the  precious 
birthright  of  service  and  blessing,  "Hear,  O  Israel,  the  Lord 
our  God,  the  Lord  is  One". 

The  Book  of  Genesis  has  told  us  of  God's  creation  of  the 
universe  and  of  all  mankind  as  His  children,  and  of  His 
selection  of  Israel  to  be  His  servant  and  the  messenger  of 
His  law  of  life  unto  men;  it  has  told  of  God's  trial  and 
purification  and  preparation  of  Israel  for  this  mission  of 
service  and  blessing,  which  has  descended  to  it  as  a 
precious  birthright;  it  has  shown  also  that  on  this  mission 
Israel  walks  not  alone,  that  God  is  ever  with  it,  and  with 
all  men,  guiding  and  leading  on,  changing  the  evil  which  men 
do  to  good,  and  controlling  the  destinies  of  men  and  nations 
so  that  mankind  must  steadily  draw  nearer  to  Him  and  to 
the  true  knowledge  of  Him.  And  Israel  goes  upon  its  mis- 
sion strong  in  its  faith  in  God,  upheld  by  His  protection 
and  His  help,  rejoicing  in  the  glorious  privilege  which  He 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall 


LD  21A-50m-3,'62 
(C7097slO)476B 


General  Libraty 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


VC  29728 


